Acts of War: Holding the Line
by danAlwyn
Summary: Third part of Acts of War. Darkness has fallen. Tokyo has fallen into darkness. Now it's up to TK, Tai, Kari, Matt and the others to lead an international army in one last desperate battle for the fate of the world.
1. Introduction

Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon. I also do not own Tokyo.  
  


Author's Introduction  


  
You should read the first two parts of this work. This part will contain the final two story arcs. It will be loooonnnngggg..  
Anyway  
This section should have a markedly different feel from the other two. I dropped the battle of the day model, and tried to concentrate on tying everything together, but I don't know how successful I was. I was also forced to introduce a substantial amount of my own characters. I have tried to avoid Mary Sue syndrome. I hope I did. I'm not really sure if I succeeded or not. To counter that, I tried to minimize the involvement of my characters in the plot. However, there are a number of other characters that are being introduced into the storyline. I was going to release a shorter series called Eagle's Aerie to explain relations among some of the other digidestined, but I never managed to finish it. Because of the different take on the story, I am hoping not to lose any of my current readers, but please tell me how it could be different. I enjoy hearing from you.  
As you might have guessed, Japan, particularly the area around Odaiba plays an important part in the story. Below here is a quick introduction to the extra characters and places that it might be better to be familiar with.   
  
People:  
Besides the digidestined a whole list of people should be showing up in these episodes that haven't appeared yet to date in my series. They are either from Digimon season 1 or 2, just to reassure those who are worried about original character problems. There will be some original characters, but I will try to keep their interference with the main characters down.  
The following characters _may_ figure largely in the following story:  
Matt and TK's Dad: Hiroaki Ishida, News Director-Fuji Television  
Cody's Grandfather: Chikara Hida  
Ken's Parents: Mr. and Mrs. Ichijouji  
Sora's Father: Professor Takenouchi  
Joe's Brother: Jim (Shin) Kido, Still working for Professor Takenouchi  
TK's Grandfather: Michel Takaishi  
Team Eagle: Michael, Willis, Phil, Maria, Lou, Steve (all introduced, except for Willis, in Digimon World Tour Part #1), Amy(original character).   
Aztecs: Rosa (Mexico)  
Australian Avengers: Derrick, Harrison(original character)  
Asian Digidestined: Poi Brothers (HK), Mina (India), Noriko (Japan), other Japanese digidestined-names yet to be assigned.  
Russian digidestined: Anna, Sonja, Yuri (Moscow Blizzard),   
European Legion:  
Paris: Catherine  
London: Daniel (original character)  
Frankfurt: Johann (original character)  
Places: Tokyo.  
I wished to incorporate some measure of accuracy and Japanese culture into my story. Since I do not speak Japanese and am not informed enough about Japanese customs to portray either very well, I decided to stick with geography. This of course gives me some difficulties since I have only been in Japan once, and Tokyo in passing. All the information contained within derives from plain, old fashioned travel guides. Here are some sights you might encounter.  
  
Tokyo: Tokyo is a huge city. Imagine, if you will, a map, twice as tall as it is wide, covered with city. Now take the bottom right quarter of the map and fill it with water instead of city. Add a scattering of islands to the bay, and a series of parks throughout the city, and you've got the basic outline of Tokyo.  
  
Odaiba  
Odaiba is a real city. I've seen it from both the air and the ground. It is physically separate from Tokyo, but is usually considered part of the greater city, and has become a popular area due to its beachfronts, and futuristic buildings. Actually Odaiba is the cause of the downfall of one of Tokyo's mayors, the city was built as the result of a massive project to reclaim land from Tokyo Bay. Odaiba is built on a flat, clearly manmade island in the middle of the bay, connected to the mainland through the Rainbow Bridge (you can see this in Digimon episodes every once in a while), or through the Yurikamome New Transit Monorail from Shimbashi station, which the kids attempted to take in season 1. Slanted from southwest to northeast, Odaiba is bisected in half by the Metropolitan Expressway. Northern Odaiba contains both the huge Fuji TV station (with its gigantic titanium sphere, that thing is _enormous_). Shopping complexes, including Aqua City Odaiba, loom nearby. To the south of the expressway is Palette town, including the gigantic, 115 meter tall Ferris wheel that appears in almost every picture of Odaiba. To the northeast of that is Tokyo Big Sight, the huge convention center that features so prominently in season one. I am assuming all this is intact at the beginning of my story.   
  
Shinjuku:  
In our imaginary map Shinjuku is in the center on the left hand side of Tokyo, next to the edge of the map. Even though it is not in the center, Shinjuku is now possibly the heart of Tokyo. It consists of two sections, a large area of incredibly built up skyscrapers, and a region of much smaller buildings and shops. To digimon fans outside of Japan it is probably most famous as the stomping grounds of Takato and the rest of the Tamers. Konaka has a shot of the real building in the park near the skyscrapers that Guilmon's shed in the park is based on. Its most dominating landmark is the twin towered Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building, built by Kenzo Tange, which houses Tokyo's government. Its 48 story towers house HYPNOS in season 3. Around it are the immensely busy shopping districts, where thousands of people come every day. By most estimates three-quarters of a million people pass through the Shinjuku rail station every day, making it the busiest rail hub in the world. Here is the huge Takashimaya Times Square shopping/dining/ entertainment complex, the massive Shinjuku Gyoen park with its 1500 cherry trees, a spectacular sight when they bloom.   
  
Ginza  
Ginza, named after the old mint that used to stand there, is internationally famous as being one of the most expensive places on earth. Ginza is home to the most exclusive and famous shopping area in Tokyo. It is no coincidence that every famous landmark in Ginza is somehow related to commerce. The main streets, i.e. the ones that visitors see, are lined with department stores, specialty stores, small stores, large stores, and huge markets. Not only is Ginza home to a small mountain of department stores, it also houses Tsukiji, the largest fish market in Japan, and possibly in the world. Ginza, the fashion capital of Japan, is one of the premiere areas for glamour on the face of the Earth. It is placed almost in the center of our imaginary map of Tokyo.  
  
Akasaka and Roppongi  
Situated just south of the center of Tokyo, Akasaka and Roppongi are popular entertainment districts. Both sport numerous clubs and bars that are open late into the night, featuring live music and pre-recorded in a wide variety of genres and nationalities. The place comes vibrantly alive at night. The most startling landmark in either of these areas is the massive Tokyo Tower in Roppongi. Almost having been knocked down in Season 1, and visited in Season 2, this 333m Eiffel tower imitation is the tallest free-standing structure in Japan.   
  
The Imperial Palace  
The palace is right at the center of our map, facing Tokyo Station, a huge sprawling mass of gardens and outbuildings which houses the imperial line of Japan. Although it is supposed to be a fascinating architectural and cultural treasure, the palace is generally off limits to the various members of Japanese society who do not have business there. It serves as an important reference, marking the center of traditional Tokyo society.  
  
  



	2. A New Kind of War

Disclaimer: I do not own digimon. This is not a work for profit, and using it as such is strictly against my wishes.  
Author's Note: No matter what I do, this episode will sound a little weird. I tried  
  


**Act III  
Paradise Lost  
**   
_And the LORD God said, Behold, the man is become as one of us, to know good and evil: and now, lest he put forth his hand, and take also of the tree of life, and eat, and live for ever: Therefore the LORD God sent him forth from the garden of Eden, to till the ground from whence he was taken. So he drove out the man; and he placed at the east of the garden of Eden Cherubims, and a flaming sword which turned every way, to keep the way of the tree of life.   
_Genesis, 3:22-3:24  
  


To: Address encrypted  
From: Address encrypted  
Subject: Greetings and Farewell  
  
Main:  
Greetings Old Friend. I hope you are well.  
I suspect this is my last message to you friend. It was a pleasure to know you, and an honor to call you friend. Despite the way we have been made to live our lives, I do not regret it yet. I just wanted to let you know I said goodbye. I suspect that we will not meet again on this Earth.  
Events are moving fast now, with the monster attacks appearing to have been some sort of signal. Tensions have been rising, and I fear my presence is more hinderance than they can overlook. I sent my associate Riley out to look for something this morning and he has not returned. I do not expect to see him again. Even now I catch the flickers of movement that indicate that they are here.  
I suspect now with somewhat more urgency that your suspicions were right, and that something is occuring, perhaps the latest unfolding of the grand plan. I do not know where this message will reach you, or when, but I know one thing. You must return to Tokyo at once! Else all may be lost. Our suspicions about the children are twice confirmed.  
I must go now. They are trying to break down the door. It will hold them for a time, but I fear my end comes soon. I'll try to take a few of them with me, for old times sake.  
Farewell.  
  
End Message  
  
  
To: Address encrypted  
From: Address encrypted  
Subject: Orders  
  
Message Router: C-27D (secure)  
Beginning Encryption program: Encryption Key: White Rose  
Encryption Complete.  
  
Main:  
I hope you understand what an insane risk you're running here. Nevertheless I fear that you are correct, and unfortunately, I must agree with you. As you have surmised, CIA and MI-6 informants in critical locations across the third world have begun to mysteriously disappear. I suspect likewise that the big movement is coming, but I don't know what, or when.  
I can do nothing to stop it. The upper levels of the government are untrustworthy, but I do not know how deeply, nor do I dare compromise us by finding out.  
There is only one thing I can do. Your orders stand as follows:  
Reactivate Helios Ascendent.  
God save us all.  
End Message  
  


  


To: Address encrypted  
From: Address encrypted  
Subject: Dojo.  
  
Main:  
I suspect that you are startled, like most, that I use email. Such is the hubris of youth. Besides, I'm truly not that old. Yet.  
I have a new assignment for you, and I suspect that it's the one you've been patiently awaiting. I apologize for all of this.   
A dojo requiring a Master in interdisciplinary martial arts has become vacant in Odaiba, Japan, as Master Akihara has been forced to return to Hokkaido. I have been aproached, and have suggested that you take over administration there, since you are certainly qualified. I believe you understand what this entails.  
You know how to contact me should the need arise.  
Keep an eye on the children. I received word yesterday: Helios Ascendent has been reactivated.  
Keep your wits about you.  
I _am_ getting to old for this.  
  
End Message.  
  
  
To: Address encrypted  
From: Jim Kido kido.shin@emrl.u-tokyo.ac.jp  
Subject: The Vault  
  
Main:  
Hey chief!  
I just wanted to let you know that we got a new shipment from the Vault today. MI-5 claims that all digital matter from the British Isles should be their property, but MI-6 managed to steal some from them. They claim that we do better work with semi-organics.  
I also thought I should warn you that Professor Takenouchi is on the warpath again. Apparently we got the IR spectroscopy scans back from that last sample, and they're completely useless. It could be something new in the material, or one of the ghostbusters managed to overexpose the sample. Either way, he's going to be one unhappy camper until we get this fixed.  
I hear this rumor that you're going to be seeing those kids soon. If you see my brother before I do, tell him I said Hi. I'll probably be here all night. We have to recalibrate the X-Ray scanners again.  
  
Cheers,  
Jim  
  
End Message.  
  
  


Episode XXVII  
A New Kind of War  
  
  
Two weeks after Episode XXVI  


  
Please not too late. Izzy pleaded as he sprinted down the sidewalk, his running feet hitting the pavement with rapid thuds. He was panting and sweating, and the people who were being forced to jump out of his way were staring at him with looks that normally would have mortified the digidestined to no end. But now he had ceased paying attention to them, the only thing existing in his mind was his need to get to the end of the block, his need to speed around the corner, to do everything possible, and by this he meant absolutely everything, to get there in time.  
There was a break in the crowd. He used it to his advantage, and jumped around the last group of random pedestrians and sightseers on the walk. His shoes skidded on concrete as he turned, and then he stopped dead and closed his eyes.  
He was too late. It was already over. The now-familiar sight of construction workers and emergency personnel gathering around collapsed buildings, trying to look and see if anybody was under there, the familiar sights of people clutching bloody wounds, being attended to by paramedics, of ambulances screaming away, of spectators watching with wide, horrified eyes. Izzy felt like he was going to be sick to his stomach. Too late again. He heard a news reporter talking in the edge of his awareness.  
Yet the seventh mysterious attack in the last two weeks by the creatures known as digimon. In all cases casualties have been light, and all injured victims have survived. Nevertheless these mysterious creatures appear to be out to attack and destroy either humanity or Tokyo. Reports from the rest of the world also indicate that these creatures have been attacking overseas. What they want, and why they keep coming is a huge question.  
These creatures appear to be larger, fiercer cousins of the smaller digimon that children all over the world have been receiving for the past year and a half. This has raised health and safety concerns all over the world about whether children should be exposed to these creatures. However, since attempts to remove these monsters from the care of children has resulted in numerous incidents, lawmakers are currently stumped. The Prime Minister was quoted as...  
Izzy shook his head as the reporter droned on, and then turned his head as another familiar sight greeted him. Tai and Sora sprinted up, both still wearing their soccer uniforms, both sweating as much as he was. Above he caught sight of what looked like Veemon speeding from building roof to building roof, but Agumon was nowhere in sight. Their digimon had to stay out of sight to keep out of the public eye, to keep from being attacked in public. It was becoming more than a nuisance, it was becoming a real danger.  
Late again? Tai asked unnecessarily.  
Izzy responded bitterly.  
We need a new plan. Sora muttered.  
I think I've got one. Izzy responded. C'mon, let's get back to school before those passes I forged catch somebody's attention.  
So what's this new plan? Tai asked as they began to jog back to school.  
We need to find a legitimate series of excuses to get the others out of school, and we need allies in the school itself. Izzy shook his head. There might be a way to do that all at once.  
How does that work? Tai asked.  
We start by getting your sister and her friends into a lot of trouble.  
  
I hope you five understand why you're here. The Middle School Principal looked out at the five students standing in front of his desk with a cold expression. The five students in front of him squirmed just a little. Missing class, coming in late, trying to run off early, talking in class, falling asleep in class, all this comes with a price. Each of you has had steadily dropping grades for the past two weeks. Is there anything you would like to tell me? Ken opened his mouth to say something, but closed it before Yolei stepped on his foot.  
Davis I could understand, but the rest of you have always tried to be diligent students, and have always tried not to slack off. But now I find you all facing academic failure. He paused for a moment in his tirade before staring off into the distance. Well, we have other options to fall back on now.  
Such as? Ken asked as politely as he could manage.  
We're sending you all to one of our school district tutors. It's a new program involving private citizens who, unlike you, are concerned about the education of the youth. The principal rose from his desk and paced around the room heatedly. You will go to his house after school where he will hopefully teach you enough to get you back on track. I know that this is an unusual step, and were you less diligent students normally I might let you fail or place you in remedial classes, but we do have district tutors now, and if this one can help you, I expect that this will be the best thing I can do for you.  
TK began, quickly seeing any hope for saving the world slipping out from under him.  
That's all. We've already informed your parents, and they were very disappointed. You will meet him outside of school immediately after your last class. His name is Adam Davids and he's easy to recognize. He's the only American likely to show up. The principal's disapproving gaze swept back over each and every one of them.  
He's American? Ken asked curiously, something Izzy had told him buzzing in the back of his mind.   
Yes, which, since all of you are enrolled in English, should be an excellent choice. Now return to class.  
TK tried again.  
I wasn't asking for an argument Mr. Takaishi.  
Yes sir. TK responded after a moment, leading the despondent digidestined out the door.  
  
Tai skittered back into the gym just as class entered. He almost immediately ran into trouble with a capital T. The school had decided to offer a more diverse set of physical education classes than it ever had previously, and one of the instructors was usually hanging around with nothing to do. Had Tai run into the enthusiastic basketball coach, or the volleyball coach, or any of the other coaches he would have been fine. But Master Hideo Ishiguro, the instructor for an experimental class in the martial arts, was down on Tai's list as seriously bad news. His sudden appearance two weeks ago had thrown the entire PE department into a tizzy. He was one of those teachers who did not even pretend to have an eye in the back of his head. He had full 360 degree peripheral vision, and a built-in radar set to go with it. It did not matter how cleverly you tried to do what you wanted to do, he would see it. Tai had thanked his luck before this day that the only subject that he had to encounter Master Ishiguro was gym, but now he was cursing his luck but good. He doubly cursed when he heard Sora screech to a halt behind him.  
Yes, and what are the two of you doing out of class? He asked pleasantly, taking a look over to where the soccer group was just packing it in for the end of class. As I recall, you're supposed to be the star players over there.  
Tai did not trust his voice to answer, especially after running so far, and he stuck his forged pass up, just as Sora did the same thing. He felt, more than heard, the bump as Biyomon landed somewhere above them, trying to stay out of sight, and felt a momentary surge of panic. But without looking around he instinctively knew that the bird digimon was out of sight of the teacher on the ground.  
I see. You know, I really don't think this looks too much like our principal's signature. Master Ishiguro turned the passes one way and then another with one hand, while fishing a package out of his shirt pocket with the other. Lemon drop?  
Both students shook their heads. Tai was holding his breath, and Sora sounded like she was beginning to panic. Master Ishiguro shrugged and placed the package back into his pocket and continued to look over the passes.  
Still, I guess it's really not my concern, is it? The teacher let his gaze pass over the two students in such a way that Sora's face matched the color of her hair. Tai was not much better off. Although it might be better in the future if you could arrange to leave class less often.  
Tai nodded rapidly, still not trusting himself to speak less he betray them with his shaky voice. Master Ishiguro gave them back the rumpled paper passes with the forged signature.  
Well, I guess I'll leave you to your business. The way he said that made Tai turn even redder. Then, unexpectedly, the tall black belt smiled. Besides, if I keep you here much longer, your friend up there is going to pass out from lack of breath. His eyes lazily traced their way upwards until they landed on the spot of wall behind which Biyomon was hiding. You can only keep from breathing for so long.  
He turned and walked away. Tai only managed to keep from exclaiming suddenly through conscious use of willpower. Once he was far enough away to be out of earshot, he turned to Sora.  
What just happened? Tai asked.  
I have no idea. Sora shook her head.  
  
I can't believe this. Ken hit his thigh with one hand. I can't believe this at all. How could we have messed up this badly?  
Because we were trying to save the world Ken. Yolei told him, carefully placing a comforting hand on him, feeling a little surprised by her own audacity in doing so.  
Save the world. Paugh! TK spat angrily as they hung around the front of the school. The closest we've come to saving the world is saving an old woman from picking up her own trash. This is just useless.  
I'm going to agree with TK. Kari took his hand gently in hers. Khartan hasn't attacked anything. He just seems to be hiding somewhere and pulling the strings.  
He's got a lot of strings. Those attacks of his are causing a lot of panic. Ken pointed out. And they don't make any sense. What's he trying to accomplish?  
At least Cody can keep his grades up. Yolei remarked as they thought about the missing digidestined.  
But he can't help with anything farther away than Odaiba, and he has to keep all the other digimon in his house and dojo all the time. I don't know how his grandfather puts up with all of this. Ken ran a hand through his hair, turning it from frazzled to disorderly with a single gesture.  
Prune juice. Davis suggested, causing them to all have a brief laugh. He was watching a group of children from the school playing soccer on the giant field out in front of the school, as were several other groups, laughing and cheering on the players.  
So where is this guy? Davis asked again, growing impatient.  
Be patient. I looked outside. Traffic is horrible today. Yolei whispered.  
I think that's him. TK remarked suddenly, pointing.  
Sure enough there was an adult who was clearly American coming their way, a tall man, looming head and shoulders above most Japanese adults, with unkempt brown hair and gold-framed glasses. He passed through several groups of cheering kids and stopped right in front of them, his casual work clothes looking a little rumpled.  
Good afternoon. He told them brightly, looking down at them. He was smiling as if he was amused by something, but whatever it was he seemed disinclined to discuss it. Do I have the honor of addressing, let's see...Daisuke Motomiya, Miyako Inoue, Takeru Takaishi, Hikari Kamiya and Ken Ichijouji?  
They all nodded, Ken still looking puzzled, Davis looking resentful, and the others looking carefully neutral.  
Ah, good...as you probably guessed I'm supposed to be your private tutor, or whatever they're calling it these days. My name is Adam Davids, although you can call me Adam. I don't mind. His Japanese was excellent, although accented with what Kari thought of as an American accent. Anyway, I'm supposed to be escorting you to my apartment, your new designated study area, where you're supposed to come after school so we can take care of you. My job is to keep you on track academically. It shouldn't be too much of a problem, should it? I guess we should try and get going, eh?  
He gave them what he thought of as a winning smile, but Davis was still grumbling when a tall, blue haired figure pushed through the crowd and reached them, panting and holding a large canvas sack in one arm. It was Joe's elder brother Jim.  
He panted. ...glad I found you. Professor Takenouchi told me to give this to you post-haste, so I ran to catch up with you. Should have known you'd be with these hooligans. Jim gave them all a quick grin.  
Adam examined the bag's contents quickly, and then looked up at Jim, eyes narrowing sharply. Where did we get this?  
Smuggled it through customs. Jim smiled at him. Even Ken's eyebrows rose. Joe's straight-laced brother _smuggling_?  
Adam seemed unimpressed.  
Diplomatic pouch from Great Britain, arrived from London about two hours ago, but got delayed by traffic. British Counter-Intelligence sends us their finest regards. They took this from the shipment that was going to the Vault. Professor Takenouchi thought you might like to have a piece of the sample.  
Thank him for me. Adam closed the bag again, as if everything was decided. Tell him that this time he might want to do the radiological examination first. I don't want to risk contaminating this particular sample before we check those readings. And tell him that I think it's about time to make the grad students recalibrate the heavy-ion accelerators again. They were responding a bit badly."  
Will do. Jim grinned at them one last time and then sprinted back off toward the parking lots.  
Adam grunted under his breath. Well, I guess we better get going.  
What's in the bag? Davis asked.  
That, Mr. Motomiya, is something that should not be discussed in public. Adam led the digidestined toward the nearest parking lot, and, once they were there, to a large, comfortable looking van much like the one Matt's Dad owned. Quickly they clambered in and squeezed to make fit, and then they were off, driving toward wherever they would be spending their afternoons.  
So, now you know what to call me. So what do I call you? He asked.  
I'm Yolei. Yolei introduced herself.  
TK introduced himself.  
  
Davis sounded more curious than sulky now.  
But Ken remained silent. Then he looked up. My name's Ken. I have a question for you.  
Go ahead. Adam did not take his eyes off the road.  
If I asked you about hot wasabi, would that mean something to you?  
They paused at a stoplight and Adam pantomimed slamming his head into the wheel. I'm never going to live that one down, am I? he asked plaintively.  
Ken grinned. I thought it might be you.  
Ah well...fame has its price. They both grinned as if sharing a private joke. TK was suddenly amazed at how young Adam looked, as if he were only ten years older than them, something rare among his teachers. I could win the Nobel prize, cure cancer and be the first person to Mars, and all that they'll remember me for is being stupid enough to pour Ota's experimental powdered wasabi into my cup instead of hot chocolate.  
There was a moment of silence while the others digested that remark.  
So, what do you do, and why did Jim know you? Kari asked politely.  
Ahhh...that. A few years ago I moved to Japan to pursue research in those monsters that appeared. If he noticed them tense up at the reference he ignored them. Anyway I ended up working for the Institute for Solid State Physics, attached to Tokyo University. I've been doing a lot of research alongside Professor Takenouchi, examining these digimon very carefully. Jim and I get along great.  
Why do you tutor? Ken asked curiously. I know it isn't for the money.  
Job satisfaction. I'm doing my part for society. Adam responded with a wink, as he pulled his van into a marked space underneath a rather large and expensive looking apartment complex. Everybody out.  
They quickly piled out of the van and followed Adam in a long trooping line, heading upstairs and into an elevator, where he quickly pushed the button for the second to the highest floor. There was a rush of movement, familiar and welcome, but the ride was held in silence.  
The corridor they came out in was quiet and sparsely decorated, a blank white wall along one side with doors at long intervals, a large window showing the expanse of Odaiba further inland, and the city to the north. The door he led them too, the second door was decorated by a peculiar inlay that protruded a little out in the hall. Adam procured a card and swiped it through an electronic lock, and the door clicked silently open.  
There was a short hallway, and then the apartment branched out. Another hallway led off to their right, and Ken could see the doors of what looked like a set of bedrooms and a bathroom. In front of them was a large living room area, and to their left was a small kitchen, and a large door apparently leading into a different room. The living room drew his eye, there were four computer boxes at least, one of them sitting open, a pair of soft couches, a filing cabinet and computer desk, and several large wall monitors, large, high quality screens displaying different screen savers. Only one appeared active, a large map of the world showing a number of blinking red dots.  
What are the red dots? Yolei asked, breaking the silence.  
Locations of known digidestined. A familiar voice broke the silence. Izzy's red hair and questing hand appeared over the side of the desk, grabbed a tool that had been lying there and then disappeared back down out of sight.  
They exclaimed loudly.  
Yeah, that's me. Now where was that? Ah yes, here... There was a small popping sound and then Izzy's head swung back up over the desk, smiling at them. Good to see you again. Hey Adam I have a message for you.  
Adam asked guardedly. Apparently Izzy had not always been a bearer of good news.  
Willis called from America. They want to send the lab down at Solid State another sample, but apparently the data won't transfer.  
Ah, yes. Adam suddenly looked acutely embarrassed. Well, there was a slight problem down at the lab today. They wanted us to double run a sample group, but somehow we ended up fooling the data server into thinking that we were running two streams on one port and, well...the computer crashed on us. I left Professor Takenouchi and the rest of the ghostbusters scrambling over it.  
Oh. That would explain it, I guess. Izzy turned back to what he was doing. I was wondering, could we borrow your room for a meeting later. Alone?  
Adam raised an eyebrow to indicate curiosity, but did not press Izzy further. But I do have some responsibilities for these kids you know.  
Don't worry. Izzy suddenly gave an evil grin. They're all hopeless anyway.  
Adam grinned back. We'll see. He turned to the other digidestined, and asked professionally. Now what subjects are we dealing with here?  
  
The Aerie did not look like the headquarters of an organization of secret individuals dedicated toward preserving world peace and harmony. It did not appear to be the meeting place of an extraordinary band of heroes, who regularly risked both life and limb to save the world. It did not appear to be the above ground headquarters building of America's premiere superhero group.  
This was, said the group's oldest member, tall, blonde 17-year old Steve, with a distinctly pained look in his eye, because it _wasn't_. Not that it wasn't cool and everything, but it wasn't much more than a clubhouse.  
This was also not true. What the Aerie really looked like was a perfectly ordinary three story office building on the outskirts of commercial New York City, with an underground basement. What the Aerie actually was could have been debated. The bottom two floors were held by the researchers from Columbia University, who gladly used the space given to them, and the donated equipment in the converted office building, to expand their research in digimon studies. The basement was used as a combination storeroom and workshop for the manufacture of electronic gadgets and gizmos that every research lab needs to stay functional. The top floor was personal domain of Team Eagle.  
This was because Michael's Dad, being not only a famous movie star, but a _rich_ famous movie star, could afford to indulge his son's whims. Michael, being astonishingly unspoiled, tended not to ask for any whims, but his first big one, presented by his father on his thirteenth birthday, had been the creation of a research center for research into digimon, as well as a collection point for his friends to gather at, a glorified, high-tech clubhouse. Thrilled by his son's interest in the sciences (since he had already announced that he had no interest in the movie business), his father had quickly purchased an old apartment building in the outskirts of New York City, and set his son up there with a place where he and his digidestined buddies could meet, sleep over and such, as well as interact with some of the city's finest researchers. As a result the Aerie was home away from home for the twelve members who constituted Team Eagle's active strength.  
Actually, on paper, Team Eagle had an active strength of about forty people, but most of them were living somewhere else in the United States. The core of Team Eagle was built around the Seven who had been part of the effort to keep digimon from rampaging across the world during MaloMyostismon's brief worldwide rampage. Of the Seven there was Amy Nakamura, the Japanese seventh grader, Phil, a short black kid in the Seventh grade, Maria, a dark haired latina in eighth grade, Lou, a tall Native American from the tenth grade, Steve, and the co-founders, tenth graders Michael and Willis.  
Michael, who served as official leader, often gave thanks that it was Willis and not him who ran most of the affairs of Team Eagle on a day to day basis. Willis might have been two years younger, but there was a reason he had skipped two grades, and it mostly had to do with his extraordinary intelligence. Michael had been all for plastering their team name and insignia across New York, but Willis had kept them calm, more controlled and more secretive. Now, with the negative publicity that digimon were getting, being well connected to the scientific community and to the police department was proving a bonus. And it was getting them popularity as well.  
There was a bulletin board, filled with pictures and newspaper clippings. One had a picture of the NYPD SWAT team racing toward an attack site with Willis, Kokomon and Gargomon looming behind them, monstrous backup for a monstrous battle. Another showed the massive bulk of Seadramon supporting a falling building. Despite the general outrage against digimon attacks, especially in already battered New York, public support for the Eagles was actually pretty strong. But it did not help them solve the problem.  
So we can't cover this. Willis gestured wildly at a map of New York on the nearest wall. How can we cover that?! This with an accusing finger pointed at the map of the United States on the other wall. We're not superheroes.  
Michael chimed in with the familiar argument, but even he was looking glum.  
So, we've got a major bad guy hiding out somewhere, and we don't know where. Phil summed everything up with a single sentence.  
Or why he's there. That's something that's still puzzling me. Steve put his hand under his chin.  
We do have some good news. Any major concentration of digimon on the move should be spottable from the air. So they'll have to keep hidden. Lou regarded the map. Plus we have digidestined contacts in twelve US cities, and in how many other places Willis?  
A lot. Willis responded, searching his memory. The A team is in Japan of course, and Tokyo boasts a lot of digidestined on top of that. We have an organized digidestined force in Hong Kong in China, and a small group in New Dehli in India. The Australian Avengers operate out of Sydney. Catherine is chairing the European Legion now, which has a whole bunch of divisions including the primary ones in Paris, London and Frankfurt. The Moscow Blizzard remains in Moscow, but they're not quite on ready alert, because apparently they've been having some problems with phone connections. Rosa has some friends in Mexico City, but that's about all we've got organized. Nobody foresaw that we'd have to become some sort of global guardians or something. We need some coordination.  
And all digidestined have been alerted? Michael asked, already knowing the answer.  
All the ones that we know about, but it's hard to get them all, or make sure we even have a thousandth of their numbers. The other problem is, with this anti-digimon backlash, most digidestined are hiding their digimon from their parents and their friends. In addition more and more people are finding it harder to sneak out for a few hours to battle the forces of evil. It's slowly isolating our manpower, and that's the only way we can fight against this guy. We need to call on more people.  
We have a coordination meeting with Japan late tonight. I suggest we get some sleep since tomorrow is a weekend. Willis looked around. We're going to be getting up early in the morning to talk to them.  
  
Yolei groaned. She had been a good student, but after the she had been having real problems finding time to study and time to do homework. Adam had not needed to give her extra lessons to improve her scores, but he had given her several worksheets and problems to do that were keeping her occupied. Kari and TK were isolated in a corner, trying to hold a conversation in English, hampered by the fact that, whenever they could not think of a word they seemed to be bursting out laughing. Ken was, as usual, zooming through his work, the enforced time giving him a moment to relax. Adam was standing over Davis, tackling the impossible task of keeping Davis' attention focused on the problem. Izzy was in a corner, muttering to himself about something.  
She groaned again, keeping from snickering at Adam's efforts, and went back to work.  
  
Taichi, could I have a word with you?  
Tai groaned inwardly as he and Sora tried to sneak away from school quietly after their latest detention. Then his eyes widened in surprise. It was Master Ishiguro again, and he was standing right behind them, a peculiar light in his eyes. He tossed his head imperiously at the two delinquents who stopped dead in front of them.  
Want a lemon drop? He asked.  
Uh...no thank you sir. Tai got out.  
I heard that your grades were slipping again. Is this something I should know about? He looked unexpectedly concerned, normally he only looked strict.  
No, it isn't. Tai spoke up hurriedly, attempting to divert the stream of conversation, but Master Ishiguro gave him a knowing look.  
So what is the problem then? His voice was quiet, as if he already suspected the answer.  
Tai paused for a moment. He barely knew the man at school, so why was he so concerned?  
Sora started to say, when Ishiguro cut him off.  
I see. He nodded again. I hope you understand when I say, if you ever need me, all you have to do is ask. And then, with a final penetrating glance, he left down another corridor.  
What was that all about? Tai asked, puzzled.  
  
The last two have left the building, they're headed the same way that the others already went, probably to the same rendezvous. The man lying on the roof was proud of his patience and his discipline. Even though it had taken hours, he had sat motionless, his gray clothes blending in perfectly with the top of the school. He had been watching and waiting, and now his final two targets were moving. He had performed his mission and emerged undetected. But suddenly he frowned as no reply came through his radio. He shook it once or twice, and then spoke into it again.  
Where is everybody? He asked sharply. If they were playing around at a time like this, with how important the job was... But there was simply no reply, as if they had dropped off the network.  
There was a sudden crinkle of plastic behind him, and the man froze, consciously overriding the impulse to spin around and reveal how hair-trigger he was. He had chosen his costume to look deliberately like a maintenance worker, and if some student had managed to sneak up on him while he was distracted, he would simply act the part. He straightened his face and started to turn around.  
Lemon drop? A voice asked right behind him.  
  
As usual, Tai arrived latest, with Matt and Sora.   
Good evening Tai. Adam spoke up as Tai came through the door.  
Good evening Adam. Is Izzy here? Tai remembered Adam from a few times when Izzy had introduced him, although he could not remember exactly what Adam did. Adam just pointed at the living room, and then left, closing the door after him.  
Is he gone? Izzy asked, when Tai plopped down.  
Tai smiled at him, and looked around at the other eleven digidestined who were sitting around in a circle. So what's up?  
We're in trouble Tai. We have to come here every day after school. TK spoke up first. He's tutoring us because of our failing grades, but that means that we'll be kept off the street.  
No way! Matt exclaimed. You really think he can do that. Izzy, we've got to take care of this...do something...  
Don't worry. Nobody panic. We have this all under control. Izzy gestured reassuringly at them. Trust me.  
So what's the master plan Izzy? Yolei wanted to know.  
Very simple. Izzy stood up and began pacing the room in front of him. Adam is doing this because I asked him to, and because he's qualified.  
TK started. Ken just smiled.  
It's easy. I keep in contact with the Middle School, and when I found out that you five were in trouble academically, I persuaded the principal that Adam, who is on retainer for the district, wouldn't be too troubled to take you on.  
But that means that we won't be able to help you. Davis protested.  
Give me a moment. The principal was considering sending you to extra classes instead, but I have enough influence to persuade him that this is the better course. The reason is simple, Adam is a ghostbuster.  
A what? Tai asked.  
Sorry...it's a nickname that the digimon researchers working under Professor Takenouchi at Tokyo University have assigned to themselves. They're one of the most pro-digimon research groups in the world. And they understand the stakes involved. Adam gets you guys out from under the gaze of your parents, because he is important enough to know a good deal of the story already. He's helped us before.  
Yolei wanted to know.  
Well, for instance, when Diaboromon first attacked both worlds Adam was the one who I went to in order to find a satellite uplink. That kind of stuff isn't sold at stores very often, but I knew Adam had one, so I borrowed it from him. And then again a lot of the programming that went into tracking BlackWarGreymon and the Control Spires was done by him. He has a real interest in the digimon.  
He's also head of Averson Electronics at the moment. Ken continued, eyes narrowing. That makes him quite an ally, doesn't it?  
That thought crossed my mind. Izzy nodded.  
What does that have to do with anything? Sora asked.  
It's quite simple actually. He has enough private wealth, and access to any piece of electronic equipment you could care to name. As an ally that would be invaluable. He has a car. He has interest in helping us. Why does the car matter? Davis inquired.  
Izzy replied. Whenever there's an attack, the first thing they shut down is the subway system. Without that, we can't pursue. But Adam can provide transportation. Plus, he's an official tutor. Seeing their blank looks, he rolled his eyes. He's a school district official. He has the ability to get you out of school.  
TK responded, out of surprise at Izzy's reasoning more than actual surprise.  
My plan is simple. Izzy drew all their attention fully to him. We need to stop these attacks. To stop these attacks we need to get around the city faster. To do that we need two things, more freedom, and better transportation. I think that we need to start telling adults who can help us get those things.  
So you think Adam will help us, and you think we should tell him our secrets? Tai continued.  
I think we should tell several people. I know that none of us have told our parents yet, but I think that we should all give information to those who are either going to figure it out, or can help. Izzy pointed at his audience, who nodded.  
So who do we tell? Mimi asked.  
Simple. First, we tell Cody's grandfather. Cody jerked up, but after a moments reflection the look of surprise faded. Your grandfather is really smart and incredibly perceptive. He's been mixed up in this business since the start, in a sense even before we were. He deserves our trust, and he'll figure things out for himself. His mind is in excellent shape, and he could really be an asset.  
Izzy pointed at Sora. Your father. Professor Takenouchi is, if not the world expert, one of the leading experts on digimon. Therefore he gets information about all kinds of incidents, and data that we could not normally get our hands on. His scientific equipment could also prove invaluable. Besides, he already _is_ on our side, we might as well tell him the truth.  
Izzy turned to Joe. Your brother would also be a lot of help here. I'm not sure if you know if, but Professor Takenouchi depends on him a lot. He can send Jim to help us, and to give us some support around town on the pretense of examining digimon sightings in this area. He knows a lot about the digimon already, and is definitely in our corner, and he's quite a good scientist.  
Then Izzy turned to Matt, who looked surprised. Your Dad Matt. I know it sounds odd, but your Dad is a lot faster on the uptake than most of us suspect, and it isn't going to be too long before he suspects something. Besides, he's editor for Fuji TV's news desk. This means that he hears about attacks fast, and his job is to collect information on the attacks anyway, so if we can get it from him, we'll do all right. He can provide transportation, and he'll understand. Now, does anybody else think their parents should be informed?  
There was a universal shaking of heads. Not now. TK chimed. She'll just freak out.  
Yeah. Really. Matt grinned.  
My mother would have fits. Sora smiled into her hand.  
Count our parents out. Tai snuck an arm around his sister.  
Don't even look here. They panic enough as it is. Ken shrugged.  
I don't think they'd take it especially well. Mimi said, as if considering something very, very carefully.  
My Dad would go nuts. Joe smiled down at Izzy.  
So would my Mom. Cody nodded solemnly.  
My parents might not care, but let's not take that chance. Davis snapped his goggles tighter around his head.  
Mine either. Yolei volunteered.  
All right. Izzy glanced around. It's decided now. There's only one problem, I don't have a contact at our High School that I think is trustworthy.  
Something from earlier nudged Tai in the back of his head. What about Master Ishiguro?  
What? You mean that big karate guy who teaches the self defense class? Matt looked puzzled. Why him?  
Let's call it a feeling. He's been popping up in the most unexpected places recently. He seems completely trustworthy. Tai pointed out. Then he shrugged. Call it a hunch. And there's just something about him  
Izzy considered slowly.  
I have an idea. Joe exclaimed, anxious to head off a long debate. Why don't we think about this for a few days. That way we can change our minds. It also gives us a chance to get everyone together at once to talk about this.  
That's good. Sora supported Joe and everybody else nodded.  
In that case. Izzy planted himself firmly between the giant display screens. Why don't we get down to business?  
  



	3. Councils of War

Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon  
Author's Note: It took me a while to rewrite this, and I had to rewrite nearly half of the whole story. I hope it makes sense, to some extent. I'm still fighting Mary Sue syndrome, so if you see something intolerable tell me and I'll see what I can do about it. The plot will develop more soon. Really. I promise.  
  
**

Epsiode XVIII  
Councils of War  


**_  
The fate of unborn millions will now depend, under God, on the courage and conduct of this armyWe have, therefore, to resolve to conquer or die.  
_

George Washington, Address to troops, August 27, 1776

  


Three computer screens flickered to life. Then three monitors laying around the desks in the large apartment all started up, static sweeping past the screen for a moment, before being replaced by clear, crisp images. Six familiar faces stared out at the digidestined from across the world.  
On one large monitor Willis and Michael stared back at them, with the faint images of other American digidestined in the background. In another large monitor they could see Yuri, Anna and Sonja staring at them from what appeared to be a Moscow schoolroom. Catherine was in the third large screen, with a small group of French digidestined right behind her. The three smaller monitors held images of Rosa in Mexico City, Derrick in Australia and, representing Asia, Noriko, the small slight Japanese girl, who was in her apartment out near Shinjuku.  
Good morning, or evening, or whatever. Izzy began formally. He was flanked by Ken and Mimi. Mimi was translating his speech into flawless English while Ken was doing it over again in Spanish. I hope you've had a chance to review the information we sent you, about where we were and what was going on. I also hope you understand the magnitude of the situation that we are immersed in.  
He paused as Ken threw him a look. The dark-haired digidestined clearly had to struggle to find the correct words to translate into.  
Sorry about that. Anyway, it seems we have a problem. These attacks by digimon are turning the world against us. We have to keep our digimon secret and hidden. At the same time, we must find out what these evil digimon are up to. We need coverage of the whole world.  
And we don't have it. Willis sounded angry. We barely have enough digidestined to cover New York, and even then, we have problems. The rest of the world is in a lot of trouble if that continues.  
He is right. Yuri spoke carefully in broken English. You in Japan have most people and littlest area. If you can do it not then we know not who can.  
And you do have other advantages. Michael continued, causing the rest of the digidestined to perk up.  
What is that? Tai asked.  
Well, you have the only digimon who can go to Ultimate. I mean, even though Willis' crew has done this before, we lack the ability to do as a team. And that's the truth. You guys have more of these powers than we can shake a stick at.  
Rosa agreed in Spanish.  
But we're in Japan. Tai returned, eyes narrowed in concern.  
It doesn't matter. Willis was shaking his head now. We know how the digital world works. You guys started this. You'll have to finish it as well. I don't know how else to phrase this, but this seems to be the way things work around here. I mean, you are the ones with the big powers and the powerful digimon, so if anything gets solved around here it's going to be because you did it. You have the training and the practice. We'll do our best to cover the rest of the world, but in the end I'm afraid it might be up to you.  
Well, that's just wonderful. Matt muttered under his breath.  
So what can we do? Derrick spoke up from the monitor in the corner.  
I have no idea. Izzy shrugged. The key is, we need a plan to find the digidestined kids all over the world, and see if they'll help us.  
We keep track of the articles that mention digimon. A lot of times when a kid gets a digimon, somebody publishes an article about it. Willis was tapping his teeth. With each newspaper having an online version these days it's so much easier for us to search through it, looking for those articles.  
That's a start. Ken mused, almost silently. But you won't find them all that way.  
True, but it might give us a start. And some leads. Willis returned. I can send you a copy of that program.  
Tai agreed.  
The real problem is going to be what happens if there turns out to be an all out attack. We haven't dealt with that. TK was obviously thinking of something else. We aren't going to have the raw power to stop him.  
But we'll get help. Noriko assured him.  
Right, so that's our first priority. Izzy looked around again. Let's get going on the others...  
  
Adam paused outside of the doorway to his apartment building. The sprawling complex, complete with a high security fence and state of the art security system, gave an impression of peace, isolation and serenity, but Adam nevertheless remained cautious. He slid his identification keycard through the doorway's security sensor once, and then looked up and around.  
You know Hideo... He spoke into the darkness. If you want to come in, I have some wonderful teas from the west. I know that sulking around in the bushes is a thirsty task.  
No thank you. Master Ishiguro emerged from the darkness, barely smiling. I appreciate the offer, but I fear I have other business with you tonight.  
Adam took a moment, fished in his pocket and finally took something out and popped it into his mouth while staring at the direction the sun had set. Keegan's dead. He stated flatly.  
I know. Ishiguro responded, not turning around. I caught it on the evening news brief. A car crash in Denver. He spat to the side. That makes whatsix of the prominent digimon experts in the United States dying in the past two weeks?  
Seven if you count Andrews. Adam appeared to be considering it. I don't believe that he fell down those stairs by accident, and that kind of concussion could keep him out of the game for months.  
They're setting us up. Ishiguro concluded grimly. When all this is said and done, they'll have the only digimon experts left on Earth.  
Not even the CIA is infinitely slow. The remaining US experts are going to be a lot harder to get to. And they aren't having unbridled luck either.  
Oh really? Ishiguro asked, cocking an eyebrow.  
We saw their project leader, our old friend Dr. Wallace in Shanghai yesterday.  
Hideo Ishiguro seemed to consider that for a moment. I really want to pick his brains about some of his research.  
Well, you're out of luck on that. Adam reported flatly. It was Jacob who caught up with him.  
how bad was it?  
Sniper rifle to the head at a hundred paces. Typical of Jacob's work. Not that it matters. Nobody found Jacob, so I assume he got away, and it isn't like the CIA's going to discipline him. Having half their Asian network put out of commission in two weeks was sort of a shock to them. So they're pissed as hell at somebody.  
And the kids? Hideo Ishiguro gestured upwards by rolling his eyes.  
Let's just say that I trust the Ancient's judgment on that one. Adam declined to comment further, and stared out at the ocean.  
  
By the time Adam came back the digidestined were already dispersing for the night. Adam exchanged tight smiles with Izzy and then gestured to the five students nominally under his control. I'll come pick you up tomorrow again, at the same time.  
Davis groaned, but everyone else just grinned at him.  
Actually if you want, I can pick you up at the High School about half an hour after school so you can talk to your friends.  
Ken looked at Davis. Davis looked at Yolei. Yolei looked at Kari. Kari looked at TK. TK shrugged.  
Davis put in, quickly realizing that nothing was going to get settled here. That'll be great.  
All right, I'll see you there. Oh, and you... He pointed at Cody. I've met most of Izzy's other friends before when they've come in and out. But I don't remember seeing you before.  
Iori Hida. Cody introduced himself very formally. Very pleased to meet you.  
But Adam had frozen halfway down in his bow and handshake, an arrested expression upon his face. Any relation perhaps to Kendo master Chikara Hida?  
Cody looked surprised. He's my grandfather.  
And undoubtedly your instructor. You have the form. I thought you looked familiar. He straightened up, looking thoughtful. If you want to come over tomorrow, you may do that also. I would be honored to have you here with your friends.  
Thank you. Cody was unsure of how to respond.  
Thank you. Adam responded. Now, I'll drive you home if you want. All of you.  
  
Joe. We have guests! Jim called out to Joe as soon as he entered the apartment, something that startled him a little. They rarely had guests, but he stopped tensing the moment he saw who it was. Professor Takenouchi was standing next to his brother, holding what appeared to be a half-full mug of tea in one hand and waving energetically with the other hand.  
Hello Professor Takenouchi, what are you doing in our neck of the woods? Joe extended his hand, having become used to having the professor come by and visit. What was even more impressive was the fact that his father was standing there and smiling. At the beginning the silence between himself and Jim had been rather strained, as he disapproved of someone who spent their lives chasing as he put it. However, when he finally learned what digimon were, he also fell victim to the fascination of studying them, and Professor Takenouchi bounced a lot of ideas off the most experienced Kido. Recently of course there had been minor problems as Jim had ventured toward the computer science and particle physics path of digimon investigation, but Mr. Kido had finally learned the folly of forcing his strong-willed children to do anything.  
Well, we both have to go back later. We've managed to obtain an illegal sample for study. Professor Takenouchi raised his tea mug to his lips.  
What's illegal about it? Mr. Kido asked, frowning suspiciously.  
Well, the Japanese government really doesn't want it investigated outside of military hands, but the military doesn't have our resources. Everyone is treating digimon paranoid, but we have allies in high places. The British Foreign Ministry sent us this sample using a diplomatic courier. It comes from one of their armed patrols in Northern Ireland, who encountered one of these digimon and shot it to pieces before it could escape. The body decomposed into this black dust. We're going to be examining it tomorrow, so we have to calibrate the sensors tonight.  
I suppose it's priority work now. Mr. Kido mused thoughtfully.  
Oh yes. We absolutely must find out why some digimon are attacking the world and some try to be our friends. Professor Takenouchi took another sip of tea. Joe hurriedly smoothed his face back down after a momentary slip, but he was suddenly aware that he might have been a little too obvious. Jim raised an eyebrow at him, and then nodded slowly and grinned at his younger brother.  
Well, Jim knew that something was up. Not that there would have been any hiding it from him anyway, but Joe felt a brief pang of unease anyway. What else would they find out?  
  
Hey Mom! Yolei yelled, sticking her head in the door of the store. She always did that so that whatever parent (or sibling) working the store would at least not be looking around for her.  
Yolei, you're late! Her mother yelled at her, but she said it in more of a resigned tone than an angry one. Yolei had cultivated a special habit of never coming home on time, and now her parents were aware of it. Only their pride in their daughter and their confidence in her allowed her to stretch the rules. But, of course, that could only be taken so far.  
Hey, the squirt's back. Yolei's older brother jumped out of the door once Yolei was close enough to open it, and Yolei found herself almost falling backwards as he collided with her.  
Tell her to come in or she'll miss the last of the game! Her sister called from where she was watching the television. From the sound of it Davis's sister Jun was here as well, but Jun did not take her eyes off the television as Yolei scrambled through the door, trying to rid herself of her brother.  
Yolei, good. Mr. Davids called about your tutoring. It's good that you're finally getting some extra help. I'm glad you took advantage of this opportunity. And I saved you some rice balls. Yolei's father tugged on his beard as he looked up from the papers he was going over on the table, accounting figures from the store.  
Thanks Dad! Yolei flashed one of her best smiles as she sat down next to him.  
Well, it was a lot of work saving it from the ravenous beasts here. Her Dad replied almost absently, but with the hint of a smile.  
Hey, I'm just growing! Yolei's brother protested as he vaulted a chair.  
Yolei groaned with the rest. At the same time she wondered how much more chaotic it would get if they knew what was really going on.  
  
We're being followed. Kari remarked as they walked toward the nearest park. TK had wanted to walk Kari home, but Kari had wanted to detour through the park, and the others had relented, although not without some argument about how dangerous it was wandering around in the dark of evening.  
How many? TK pretended to stop and study a newspaper machine for a moment to give Kari a chance to look around.  
At least two. Kari returned quietly, leaning down as if reading the headlines.  
I know. You know, if he wants to be sneaky, your brother is going to have to cut his hair some. TK stared absently at the floor for a few moments.  
Should we lose them? Kari asked suddenly, the light from the artificial lampposts emphasizing her pale and innocent expression. I mean, it's only fair. I assume that you don't follow your brother when he goes on dates, and I know that I don't follow Tai when the cheerleaders take him out.  
I thought you'd never ask. TK replied with a chuckle. On your signal?  
Kari whispered as they approached a sizeable grove of green, bushy trees.   
TK shot off with Kari barely a step behind him. They rushed through the brush in a maddening run, putting distance between their trail and where they had been going, TK choosing random paths that led through the deeper areas of greenery. At the same time years of training came to the fore, and suddenly they stopped making noise, they carefully dodged over the branches that would have cracked, avoided triggering the waving of leafs and other botanical objects, and avoided any illuminated patches. Then they stopped moving fast and Kari took the lead. She was smaller than TK, and had an easier time finding paths through the dense undergrowth. TK had to admit that she did a better job probably of moving silently in here, but he was constrained by his height and his hat, which he stuffed in his jacket as an afterthought.  
Then they were at the edge of the park, and the only thing around it was the fence separating the park proper from the next territory over it. Kari and TK exchanged glances, and a moment later had avoided the fence and the exposure it would mean, and had darted down the fence line until they were standing on an open street that TK recognized.  
So, now what? Kari hissed as quietly as was possible.  
We race Tai and Matt and whoever else it is back to your apartment. I know a few back ways through here. Do you? TK smiled.  
Yeah. Come on. Kari led the way off into the darkness.  
  
Kari sighed and put away the book she had been reading. She was still tired, but strangely more awake and more aware. She felt better, as if the world had come back into focus. It was probably a full night of sleep that had done it for her, for the first time in ages she felt well rested. She had not even needed to feign attention in math class, she had given it. Now her math teacher had finished writing on the board, and was turning back to the class.  
Now remember to take special care to examine the structure of the methods we discussed today, and especially how geometric representation can help us solve difficult polynomials. He looked around at the class. Are there any questions?  
Nobody answered, the bell rang, and he dismissed the class. TK came up to her as she left and squeezed her shoulder quietly and quickly. No attacks yet today.  
That's good. Kari responded. Where are the digimon?  
We forced them back into hiding in Cody's place. His grandfather's getting just a little bit suspicious I think, but I don't know what to do about that. I think we should jsut try and pretend that everything's normal.  
Yeah, like that's ever worked before.  
Davis and Ken were waiting for them in English class. Both of them were grinning openly at them. So, how is life for Odaiba's favorite couple? Ken asked. The two boys got a good snicker in at the two facing them.  
Watch it Ken. I know your secrets. TK threatened back. Kari stuck out her tongue.  
So, what's the news TK? Davis asked.  
Looks like there haven't been any attacks yet today, not that this means much, but it does mean that we have no problems yet with our new plan. I still think Izzy may be a bit off of his rocker, throwing his trust in people we don't know that well, but I guess he has his reasons. TK shrugged.  
I feel pretty naked here. Ken admitted. Here we are with the world in deadly danger, and we're sitting around in class.  
YOU try to explain to the principal that we're needed on a matter of worldwide importance. Davis rolled his eyes. He'll just laugh us out of his office.  
If he doesn't give us all detention first. Kari pointed out.  
TK just laughed. Davis rolled his eyes again.  
So we just sit here and wait? Ken asked.  
I'm open to other suggestions. TK responded.  
  
Sora sweated and panted at the same time. Master Ishiguro, who normally taught a specialized self-defense course at the school, was on rota. Every year the PE class went through different phases, basketball, soccer, volleyball, running, even dancing. One of the four week segments was devoted to self-defense. Tai and Matt had snickered at this, thinking of four weeks of throwing punches and dodging people, something they were already expert at.  
That was until Master Ishiguro had stepped up. He was big. And he was fast. Despite what people would normally have seen as a large bulk, he was probably the fastest in the gym. And he seemed to feel that everybody else should get a little faster.  
So that's what they did for twenty minutes. Stretch, see if they could reach a little farther, and then fast exercises, seeing if they could get faster. Over and over again, under the cold gaze of Master Ishiguro. He said, rolling his eyes, that he would bow to popular culture and that the title of _sensei_ was appropriate. What his actual title was he never divulged. Sora, on the girl's side, was glad for her years of athletic preparation. Next to her she could practically see Mimi beginning to wilt.  
Excellent Miss Takenouchi. You're really coming along, just don't forget that you have much that could be improved. For instance, you make your movements look pretty, but they lack power. Sora almost jumped out of her skin. Master Ishiguro was about half a meter taller than her (at least that's what it seemed like), but he still managed to sneak up on her on a regular basis.  
And as for you Mr. Kamiya, you might want to try fooling around less. A second later he was over by Tai, halfway across the room.  
_How does he do that?_ Sora wondered absently.  
  
Izzy was a special student. This meant that he could skip as many classes he wanted as long as he kept his grades up, and had a good excuse. Today he was sitting in a cushioned observation chair at the Tokyo University Institute for Solid State Physics, watching the scene unfold beneath his balcony.  
Three graduate students were carefully, using sterilized gloves several layers thicker than normal, placing a piece of black material on a carefully sterilized tray. All of them were dressed in what they referred to as space suits, fully enclosed airtight suits of plastic cloth and fabric that wrapped around them, keeping them safe from any biological contamination. The room they were working in was already sealed, three separate airlocks with three separate decontamination procedures blocked the entrance. The window through which Izzy was watching this was actually three separate sheets of airtight, bulletproof Plexiglas. From the looks of the people around him, they probably all wished for space suits too. Izzy shrugged. He had breathed that stuff in before by accident. It could not be that dangerous.  
Professor Takenouchi asked from behind them.  
Jim responded, flipping up levers and pressing a few buttons on an equipment panel behind him.  
We're good. Adam yanked back on a lever and watched as the machinery cranked its way to life. Everything is within operational parameters.  
Below, in the operation pit one of the grad students gave them a thumbs up. A moment later his voice crackled over the intercom.   
Clear to the safety chamber. Professor Takenouchi turned away from his monitor to face Jim, who was running the operations console. He waited until the three grad students had entered the first airlock chamber and closed the door behind them before giving the order. Go to lockdown.  
Lowering blast shields. Jim bushed another button. Slowly a thick sheet of lead glass lowered over the Plexiglas window they had been observing through. Sensitive equipment inside the pit were suddenly covered by heavy shields.  
Activate scan procedure.  
Procedure active. Jim nodded, and light began to flash down below.  
Adam began to recite the data calmly and analytically. Beginning data analysis now. The substance is not emitting in the alpha ranges. The substance is not emitting in the beta ranges. The subject does not appear to emitting electromagnetic radiation...wait a moment...scratch that, we have what appear to be UV emissions...  
_Ultraviolet radiation?_ Izzy thought to himself as he turned to the huge data monitors. _How did that happen?_  
Could be phosphorescence of some kind, the breakdown of some sort of organic substance. A postdoc somewhere behind Izzy muttered under his breath. Then again...  
Continuing scan. X-ray scan negative. Beginning Mass Spec analysis on breakoff sample one. Beginning Chromatography on breakoff sample two. Data coming up. Impossible charts began to appear on the walls, incredibly impossible charts. Physicists and biologists began to yell at each other behind Izzy. Izzy just watched, fascinated. NMR data up. More yelling, more shouting. Beginning calculations of stimulated emission. _Holy shit!_  
Adam's last exclamation was sufficient to silence everybody in the lab. On the computer monitors a new chart had appeared, but this time it was incredible. Even Izzy felt the urge to stare aimlessly at it. The entire screen was now a pulsating mass of points of light, constantly shifting patterns.  
Well, that confirms that. Adam's voice was a bit shaky.  
What is that? Professor Takenouchi asked.  
That is a series of atoms, or particles, I don't know what, pulsating in response to light. Look at that structure, the way they're responding to each other. That's physically impossible, at least in our world, but that's incredible. What you're looking at is the ultimate in binary data storage, and it reacts differently to different wavelengths. It shows similarity to some advanced models of fiberoptic powered microprocessor networks, but the levels of complexity and feedback are extraordinary. It even emits light back out. What you're seeing is a self-programmable, self-responsive digital data network. Digimon are living data, and what's more, they are clearly intelligent living data.  
_Fascinating_. Izzy thought as he leaned closer to the displays.  
  
So what are we doing now? Mimi asked as they hung around after school.  
Waiting for the kids to join us. Matt responded, squeezing Sora's shoulders.  
They're not kids anymore. Sora protested, elbowing him slightly.  
Matt looked disdainful. I have the lifetime right to refer to my little brother as a little kid you know. And I have a reputation to maintain.  
Sora elbowed him again, and then smiled. I love you. She almost winced at the expression of regret that sped over Tai's face.  
Mimi broke the sudden silence. We should do something.  
Like what? Matt asked.  
Well, we could take a look around. Mimi tried to put a happy spin on everything.  
Tai shrugged.  
They wandered through the school carefully, passing by backpacks left on the floor in carelessness, but finding everything empty. A few teachers waved at them, but for the most part the school was boring and empty. It was only when they approached the gym that they heard any evidence that the building was populated.  
One. Two. One. Two... Master Ishiguro's voice rang over the gym in steady cadence, completely immune to emotion.  
The gym was built with the floor of the gym almost five meters below the entrance, giving the students a view of the floor from behind a plain concrete barrier, where they could see over the bleachers and onto the floor itself. On the floor of the gym was a group of students wearing the white uniforms that Tai always associated with the martial arts. Individually they were going through a series of hand techniques, one at a time, over and over again. Each of them was covered with sweat, their brows furrowed in concentration. Over and over again they moved, strike, feint, block, strike, feint, block.  
I guess we just wait here for a while. Tai stretched out over the railing.  
  
Gatomon sped along after her human companions. She was one of the few digimon who could blend into normal life, hopping along the streets. Even though she was a bit peculiar, she looked enough like a normal cat to pass silently, and people tended not to comment on her appearance. It was only her and the flying digimon who could be trusted to pass through the city inconspicuously, and it made Gatomon worried sometimes. Now she was chasing the digidestined through a park. They were late, and in a hurry, and had probably forgotten about her in their rush to get somewhere else.  
She never even saw the blow that laid her out.  
  
Charley, despite his exterior, his attitude, and, as he explained to anyone who would listen, his phenomenal bad luck, was hardly stupid. He knew that the boss, that was Mr. Ishida, knew things that he was not aware of. Especially when it came to digimon. He had received a certain amount of commendation for helping the people trapped in the convention center escape during the Odaiba fog incident, but Hiroaki Ishida had received more by avoiding capture in the first place, and then helping unknown forces take back the Fuji television station before it got completely trashed. Those incidents of two years ago also marked Ishida as a man who knew something.  
Charley also noticed that he was a man who lived increasingly in what the others jokingly called the War Room. It was a conference room that they had transformed to deal with the current crisis. The main table had been covered with three maps, one of Tokyo, one of Japan, and one of the world. On each map there were red flags poked into the slab of cork beneath, each one carrying a number that noted which set of data went with which flag. Charley shook his head and handed the latest set of reports to his boss.  
It doesn't make any sense Charley. Mr. Ishida did not even glance at the reports. He did not have to. They all ended up the same. What's the pattern?  
I don't know chief. Charley replied.  
Well, something's up. All that I know is that whatever they're doing, it seems to be poisoning the world against peaceful digimon as well. And that's something that I won't tolerate. Do you understand?  
Charley shook his head. The chief was sure in a state this time. You don't have to tolerate it. At this rate, public opinion is going to decide for you.  
I know. Mr. Ishida rumbled ominously. I know.  
  
Hello Hideo. The ice cold voice froze the gym in place. Even Tai could feel the sudden tension in the room. He could not see the speaker though, even though he jerked this way and that looking for the source of that unearthly voice. In the middle of the floor Master Ishiguro stopped in the middle of dismissing the class.  
Hello Adam. There was absolutely no emotion in his voice. In fact, there was barely anything at all. What are you doing here?  
I've taken up tutoring. Adam jerked his head over to indicate the digidestined lined at the top of the railing. I'm waiting for my charges to show up.  
I see. Was all Master Ishiguro said as he went back to dismissing the class. A few moments later most everybody was scurrying through the door. Even more experienced students seemed to want nothing to do with whatever was going to happen on the floor below them. The digidestined, curiously immune to the sense of danger and self-preservation that their fellows possessed stared over the edge.  
So, are you going to do something or are you just going to sit there? Master Ishiguro asked.  
With a single fluid motion Adam threw aside the gym bag that he had been carrying in one hand and grabbed a single piece of something as it flew off his arm. A moment later there was a silken ring, and over a meter of polished steel, sharpened so much that Izzy could have sworn he saw it cut through the dust, appeared in his hand. It was a western style sword, straight instead of curved, and he held it easily in his right hand, his entire body poised.  
In the moment that the flash of light on steel drew attention to the American, Master Ishiguro had produced his own weapon, what appeared to be a traditional katana still in its polished black sheath. He held the sheath loosely in his left hand and watched Adam carefully, as if weighing his options.  
I already know that I lose the speed drawing competition. Adam drew the sword back and prepared to spring, his muscles clearly tensed.  
As you say. Master Ishiguro backed up, the sword held hilt toward Adam, angled down from over his head, still sheathed.  
Adam's eyes narrowed.  
After you. Master Ishiguro crouched even lower.  
I'm sorry guys...I know we're late but Mr. Fujiyama... Davis's voice cut through the tension as he and the others raced up. Then he caught sight of Adam standing on the lowered floor shaking his head.   
Adam smiled without taking his eyes off the black belt. That's all right...  
And at that point the world came apart around them.  
  
Cody stood at home, barely listening to the TV. What he was really doing was listening for the inevitable crash next door when one of the digimon would discover something else that was breakable. It was becoming depressingly regular. At least they seemed to be entertained by the radio, and managed to stay hidden mostly from his mother.  
He sighed and wandered through the house. The only other person home was his grandfather, who was standing in the kitchen, checking the mail. As soon as Cody entered he shoved something he had been looking at in his pocket, letting Cody get a glimpse of a golden sunburst on a piece of paper, and looked down at him solemnly. Suddenly Cody remembered what he had been going to ask earlier.  
You know, my friends now have a private tutor they're supposed to visit after school every day. Cody started very formally.  
You told me. His grandfather sensed that a question of some importance was coming out of this.  
Well...he invited me to come over with them if I wanted.  
Of course Cody, if you want to be with your friends, that's certainly fine with your mother and me. We know that they're people of good character, and that they'll be fine company for you.  
Well, there was something strange.  
Concern pressed around his grandfather's face. The elder Hida had not bee unaware of how different Cody had been acting in the past two weeks, how grateful for his home he was, and how tense he was. He had been able to look at the accounts of monster attacks all over the city, and put two and two together. Now this suggested that something else might be falling into place. In what way?  
Well, he said that he knew you, and that I looked familiar. He seemed to know you because of your kendo reputation.  
What was his name? Master Hida began to search his memory.  
He's an American. His name is something like Adam D-something, something short. Davies maybe.  
Cody's grandfather sucked in a panicked breath, his eyes showing the first signs of true concern that Cody had seen there. Adam Davids is in Japan? he asked sharply.  
...late-breaking announcement. The TV suddenly interrupted the conversation. It appears that another monster attack is underway, this time in Tokyo itself. Cody and his grandfather froze. Yes, reports from Odaiba indicate that these monsters are currently terrorizing a high school for some reason. Police urge everyone to remain calm... But Cody was already running for the digimon.  
  
Glass shattered. Despite herself, Mimi screamed. Shapes poured in, horrible ones, and ones that were clearly not human. Some of them bounced off walls, coming ever closer. There was the gleam of steel in their strange hands. Outside another blow smashed through most of the wall and a Knightmon, light glinting off of his silvery armor, slowly and inexorably levered his way inside. The rest of the shapes slowly resolved themselves into the fast moving Ninjamon, jumping back and forth from each wall, slowly moving toward the children now standing petrified on top of the floor. Tai started to shout something.  
A Ninjamon jumped and landed directly between Master Ishiguro and Adam Davids. The last thing he ever saw was two statue-like objects suddenly turning into blurs of motion. Adam threw his blade forward, almost as if he had lost control, but there was skill there and art, and the sword curved in its trajectory. Hideo Ishiguro accelerated at unbelievable speeds to a point just short of the Ninjamon and then started to brake. His sword flew out of the sheath as inertia began to take hold, and the swordsmen turned that downward blow into the strongest stroke he could make it. The two blades clashed with a sound like a ringing bell right in the middle of where the Ninjamon's head had been.  
The ringing sound filled the gym. Attention, focused between two different groups suddenly became locked onto the two older humans standing in the middle of the room, a faint coat of digital data slowly beginning to coat them.  
I think our match has been interrupted. Adam remarked dryly.  
I see. It appears that our duel will have to wait a while. Master Ishiguro calmly jammed the scabbard back into its proper place on his belt and drew the sword up parallel to his body. Adam just grunted and drew the hilt of his sword back until it was almost behind him, the point still aimed unerringly at his opponents.  
Reminds me of old times. Ishiguro remarked. Which ones do you want?  
I'll take the big one! Adam was off, advancing at a run so fast it seemed that his feet were merely gliding along the floor.  
You get all the fun. Master Ishiguro muttered, flipping his sword 270 degrees in an arc and slicing into the Ninjamon trying to sneak up on him from behind without even bothering to turn around.  
If Adam answered, the voice was lost in the roar of battle that erupted in the gym. Knightmon narrowed his eyes at the approaching human and raised his sword, depending on his natural instincts to tell him when to strike. For a moment he prepared himself, the immovable object meeting the unstoppable force, and then the huge sword slammed down.   
Sora saw only the brief motion that betrayed Knightmon's intentions once the sword was underway, but Adam either saw it earlier or simply reacted faster. As the sword began to descend, he leapt, and the huge blade clanged hollowly down beneath his legs. Then he turned into a blur of motion, seeming to be skating up the monstrous sword, his own weapon springing out from where it had lain dormant, uncoiling like a striking serpent. And then he was gone and a huge chunk of metal armor ripped off of Knightmon's shoulder.   
The Ultimate screamed, both in pain and in rage, and then he turned around, still roaring his fury just as Adam, who had gone airborne, turned himself over in midair. He hit the remains of the wall behind Knightmon feet first, legs tensing up, and then he sprang again, death incarnate streaking toward his adversary.  
Master Ishiguro was in no such hurry, his speed was not only believable and human, it was almost pedestrian. He did not rush, and his movements had no great speed or power behind them, or so it seemed. To the Ninjamon that attacked him it must have been perplexing. They would attack him full on, weapons screaming at their opponent's body as he walked calmly along the floor, and then suddenly he would not be there anymore. There would only be empty air, a bare patch of floor as the Ninjamon skidded by, and then a sudden sharp pain in the back of the skull.  
Tai could only watch in wonderment the first time, but the hairs on the back of his neck were standing on end. He had seen WarGreymon move, but even he did not move with such speed and grace. Or perhaps he did, but over larger distances. It seemed to Tai that Master Ishiguro was somehow just disappearing in one place and reappearing in another, almost as if it was magic. He seemed to know exactly when and where to move, and when his opponents got too close there was almost a blip on the surface of reality and he just moved.  
On the other hand, Adam was breaking the laws of physics in his own way. He was moving too fast, continually shifting between defense and offense, and Knightmon, for all his prodigious strength, kept on missing him. Shards of concrete from the walls and wood from the floor speared the air around him, but missed him. It was like watching a ricocheting bullet, there was a great temptation to duck down and miss the entire show. Tai knew that he wanted to close his eyes and hope that everything was going to go away.  
Another Ninjamon erupted into a shower of discarded data as a blast of steel cut straight through him, and Ishiguro was beyond them, sword moving now in a great looping arc that hooked around an unfortunate Ninjamon's sword and hurled it straight through the eye of another of the small digimon. A moment later two more Champion level digimon had disappeared, all this the work of one human being.  
That was when Knightmon twisted unexpectedly and Adam slipped. He skidded, lengthwise, on his back, twirling around as he tried to right himself, but the huge Ultimate was after him, a monstrous juggernaught that sought nothing but the destruction of his foe. The huge sword came up again, prepared for a downward killing stroke.  
Oh hell. Adam said very clearly in the sudden stillness in the battle.  
His hand slapped down on the floor next to him. A huge jet of steam erupted from the ground below Knightmon.  
The Ultimate screamed as the burning hot steam seared him in that armor shell, and then Adam was rising, his sword rising from the depths, uncoiling like a nightmare. And then Knightmon simply was not there any more, only a cloud of dust and a last lingering scream marking the place he had been only moments before.  
The last Ninjamon disintegrated with a look of surprise on his face. Hideo shrugged and walked over to where Adam had sagged against what remained of a wall. What did you do? He asked, sounding more curious than amazed. Izzy knew that his own jaw was dropping towards the floor, but those two were acting as nonchalant as they pleased.  
Ruptured the hot water pipe. Adam muttered, shaking his hand out. I hate working with hot water. I feel like my hand's on fire.  
You knew that would happen. Hideo chided the American.  
What would you have preferred? Adam growled. I could have used the circuitry in the walls and started a chain lightning reaction. That would have been pretty, and killed everyone in the building as I recall.  
Surely something less Hideo spared a glance at the geyser bubbling happily in the middle of the floor.   
I'd like to see you come up with something next time. Adam muttered.  
So what was that all about? Hideo asked.  
Well, since they didn't seem to prepared for us. Adam looked around at the fine coat of digital data lying over everything. So offhand I have to say that I think that they were after something else. Or someone else. His eyes narrowed as he took in the sight of the only other people in the building, standing there watching the scene and gaping.  
Tai began to gasp out, the shock of having just seen two ordinary humans wipe out an entire assassination squad overcoming his normal robust nature.  
Are there any more of them? Davis, who had been making up more excuses recently than Tai managed to come up with a reason to keep them all busy for a moment to regain their senses. Mouths clanged shut as people began to glance around, looking for something to do, or some handy explanation.  
Ken broke out the Scanner almost immediately and took a look around. I don't see anythingoh waithere comes the cavalry.  
Attention miscreants! A large and familiar voice boomed out. I am six stories tall, and I have enough firepower to level this entire structure. Come out and surrender at once to these nice friendly police officers or I will be forced to take matters into my own hands. And I'm not speaking figuratively.  
Adam rolled his eyes and gestured toward the remains of the back exit. Let's get going people.  
They quickly melted out the back door, giving the fluttering Biyomon, who was trying to look inconspicuous in the sky, a quick wave, heading beneath some garbage and wreckage out into the parking structure, where they quickly ducked behind Adam's nondescript van.  
Izzy finally collected his thoughts as Shakkuomon, apparently satisfied, disappeared in a blur of light. There was a brief flicker as what looked like Hawkmon swept down and grabbed the falling Armadillomon and zoomed off into the distance.  
What just happened? Izzy asked.  
Excellent question. Adam adjusted his side mirror carefully so that he could look into Izzy's eyes. You first.  
  
  
Like it? Have suggestions? Drop me a line. Write a review!  



	4. Questions and Answers

Disclaimer: I don't own digimon  
Author's Note: Yet another long delay between publications. I had hoped to get this out sooner, but I've just been burnt out recently. Apologies to all. I'm trying to jump start the plot that will keep the rest of this story arc moving. The next episode is going to take some really substantial rewriting to deal with it.  
Anywayscomments are always welcome. Please review!  
  
**

Episode XXIX  
Questions and Answers  
  


**_Life is the art of drawing sufficient conclusions from insufficient premises.  
_Samuel Butler, Note Books  
**  
  
** What's the connection? Izzy asked himself as he sat in Adam's apartment. It was already getting late, the sun beginning to set along the far horizon, but he was still hard at work. Adam and Ishiguro had accepted, somewhat warily, Izzy's promise that they would explain what was happening in due time. He was putting that particular confession out of his mind and was sorting through data garnered from the monster attacks, checking over everything carefully.  
It can't be a coincidence. Izzy murmured. No casualties in any of the attacks, or at least no fatalities. Obviously Khartan is just trying to scare us, but the question is why? What does he want?  
Maybe nothing. Maybe just to scare people. Maybe that's his whole point. Yolei was lounging across a chair, feet up. Her parents had gotten used to her arriving home late, so she showed no hesitation to curl up here and wait with Izzy, trying to help brainstorm. Of course Izzy suspected that there might be another reason she wished to stay there.  
But he's got an awful lot of planning. Ken mused, sitting in a chair next to Yolei and looking over Izzy's shoulder. Just look at all of this, every place attacked has been during some sort of public event. Do you think that the people are attracting them?  
Offhand, I would say no. Izzy cushioned his chin in his hand while he thought. Even sophisticated Myotismon showed no real understanding of the complicated way the human world works. I've gotten used to digimon not understanding the way the world works for us, and to find them striking targets like this leads me to suspect some level of planning that is increasingly disturbing. I just don't know what they're up to.  
So who have they hit? Yolei asked. Go through the list again.  
All right. A a nightclub opening in Roppongi, three different electronics shows at Akihabara, a business convention meeting in Shinjuku and a special sale/performance in Ikebukro. That's all the attacks beside the one at Odaiba today, and we know why that one happened.  
Right, so what's the pattern?  
They hit targets with lots of people around, and targets that already have some media coverage. They get away fast too, it seems like they don't want to kill anyone, and that's sort of odd. Ken mused to himself.  
Analysis time. What would happen if they started killing people? Izzy looked around.  
On the nearby couch the only two other people in the apartment looked up. TK and Kari had volunteered to stay behind, theoretically to help Izzy think, but probably to catch up on some private time without their brothers's interference. Right now TK had Kari's head pillowed on his chest, but she opened her eyes and responded to Izzy's question. We would be in a lot more trouble than we are. The anti-digimon movement would be a lot more powerful than it is now, and we would be drowning in anti-digimon sentiment. The attacks right now bring up a lot of fear, but if they really start doing major damage the place would probably go into martial law or something.  
Izzy snapped his fingers. Of course. Why didn't I think of that? If they start killing people they could make it a lot harder on themselves. Some casualties are acceptable, but they would have a lot more problems if there was an active military on the streets. I don't know what they would do then.  
Probably make our lives more interesting. Ken muttered darkly.  
So what does it mean that they only attack Tokyo? Yolei wanted to know.  
Izzy blinked as if caught by surprise.  
I mean, no other cities have this problem. Yolei continued, pointing to one of Izzy's nearby maps.  
Oh that. I have a theory.  
Don't you always. TK and Kari chimed in from the couch.  
Of course I do. Izzy murmured. I noticed something worldwide. The attacks concentrate themselves in certain areas. Although there are attacks everywhere, most of them have taken place either here in Tokyo, in the big cities of the US, or in the population centers of Western Europe. There are some attacks in the Australian cities, and in Hong Kong and Singapore, but almost none in other areas.  
So they like attacking people. TK shrugged. What's your point?  
Just that. Think about this. If you wanted to attack high concentrations of people where would you go? How about Mexico City? Or the dense populations of the Chinese coast cities? Or maybe the big cities of India. India and China together have almost half the people on Earth, why not go there?  
I don't know. TK confessed, shrugging his shoulders and accidentally dislodging Kari's head. Kari, fortunately, was too interested in the conversation to care.  
But the attacked areas do have something in common. Izzy pulled out a folder he had been carrying and extracted a map of the world, covered in dots in roughly the same places that the attacks had been. This is a map of the world distribution of the digidestined. Look familiar?  
Yolei's eyes widened. Are they coming after all the digidestined?  
I don't know. Izzy replied honestly. All I know is that they seem to be attacking our greatest concentrations of strength. Maybe they're after us, maybe they're just trying to discredit us.  
Or maybe it's something else. Kari mused. What if they aren't attacking us? What if they're attacking something else?  
What do you mean? Izzy sounded intrigued.  
Well, what if there was something they wanted. And what if Gennai just happened to have a hand selecting the digidestined. He would put them right in the way of where they were trying to go...right? So that may be why a lot of the digidestined are there.  
That's an excellent idea Kari. Izzy replied, high praise from him.  
But it doesn't matter whether it's true or not. Ken noted. Either way, they're going to be coming where we are. Which means that sooner or later they're going to be coming after us. So we've got to be ready.  
Which leaves us with a more pressing question. TK looked up.  
What's that? Izzy asked.  
Well, we've invited my dad, Cody's grandpa, Professor Takenouchi, Jim, Master Ishiguro and Adam back over tomorrow to explain all of this to. I don't know what we're going to say to keep them from grounding us for life.  
That I don't think even a genius could answer. Izzy replied with a small smile.  
  
Tai and Matt prowled the streets, walking through the crowded byways of central Tokyo, using the Tokyo Tower as a reference point. Actually they were biking, glad that the crowds had thinned considerably since midday. Behind each of them was a huge bundle of what looked like blankets, and they were aware that some people were staring at them suspiciously. But had they been able to see what was inside the bundles they would have panicked even more.  
I'm getting hot in here. Agumon complained in Tai's ear.  
Not as hot as you'll get if you get out here and somebody sees you. Tai hissed back. Keep it down, why don't you?  
All right. Agumon grumbled, almost to himself, before settling down again.  
Hey Tai! Matt called and pointed. Let's go there for a breather. He was pointing toward one of many of Tokyo's small parks, this one with a large group of trees that it would be easy to conceal their digimon in.  
Good idea. Tai pulled his bike up next to the trees, and Matt pulled his up next to him.  
C'mon you guys. Matt freed Agumon and Gabumon. Cool off for a bit.  
The two digimon quickly moved deeper into the copse of trees. Tai and Matt stood next to their bicycles and waited for any signs of trouble.  
Matt began hesitantly. I'm surprised that you haven't given me the riot act yet Tai.  
Tai was clearly distracted by something else.  
You know, the speech where you say if your brother does anything to my sister I'm going to pound him into something that looks like a pancake.  
Oh, that... Whatever was distracting Tai it certainly was important to him. Matt stared but all he could see was the street and the normal evening traffic.  
Uh, Tai, what are you looking at over there.  
Hmmm...what? Oh, see that? Tai pointed at something.  
Yes Tai. In Japan we call that a truck. What's so important about it?  
If we had one, we could hide our digimon in it. And we could get away after a battle. After all, nobody expects a monster the size of a city building to disappear into a truck it could have stomped on a moment ago. That's the thing about digimon, they could hide in something like that.  
Yeah, well, we don't have a truck. Matt said slowly, but Tai was already talking again.  
All the attacks have been near the center of cities, near roadways, near bridges and highways. Always nobody sees the digimon arrive, and nobody sees them leave, but they're near public events, with lots of nearby traffic. When a huge monster appears in the street, do you check the traffic around you? No, you check for the quickest way out. And when the army comes do they search every truck? No, they look for a giant monster.  
Tai, you think they have human assistants? Like dark digidestined or something?  
What I think is that we could be in a lot more trouble than we had originally thought.  
We should tell that to Izzy as soon as possible. Matt swung back on his bicycle and whistled for Gabumon.  
And Matt...I trust TK with Kari. I trust both of them to do the right things, and to live a good life. I think your brother is a great person.  
Thanks Tai. Matt met his eyes and nodded, before he could get Gabumon back on his bike, and Agumon got on the back of Tai's.  
I just don't know if I can trust you. Tai muttered to himself as the two of them rode off into the darkness together.  
  
You know what we need Cody? Davis asked without taking his weight off of the door he was trying to hold shut.  
Iron bars on the windows? Cody suggested, braced against that door.  
Something like that. I was actually thinking of a nice bank vault. Those things are supposed to be made of solid steel. You couldn't break through that, could you?  
Speaking of break, how are we going to explain what happened in there?  
I don't know Cody. I've come up with a lot of excuses in my time, but I've never broken a floor before. I didn't know that you could do it. Davis tried to shut his ears against the loud noises coming from inside and ignore the sweat beading on his forehead.  
Well, I better have some reason to explain to my grandfather. I think that he suspects me of something, and I can't lie to him. Cody grunted as the door shuddered again.  
You just need more practice. Davis huffed as the door creaked open just a fraction.  
Cody did not reply, just grunted wordlessly.  
For the last time! Davis yelled into the room. There's no chocolate out here!  
We don't believe you! Veemon called back from inside.  
I'd hate to explain this to your grandfather. Davis murmured.  
  
God I love the view here. Sora exulted in the freedom of this high point.  
Sure do. Jim tells me I should come here more often during the night, and now I see why. Joe looked around at his surroundings with a sense of awe. From here, on the top of the Tokyo Metropolitan Government building he could see almost anywhere in the city, or at least in Shinjuku. The public observation deck was full even now, but his true aim was simple, to keep an eye out for any signs of trouble. With Birdramon patrolling the city from the air and Ikkakumon out in the ocean, the job of the two of them was to bector them to stop early attacks and then call for backup.  
So how's your life? Joe asked as his eyes traced the glittering stars of the hundreds of individual lights he could see out in the park below.  
Well, if it weren't for Tai and Matt it would be great. Sora sounded bitter for a moment.   
Why is that? Joe pretended to be clueless.  
Well, they both like me I think. It's just that, well, I haven't been thinking of Tai in that particular way, so it's a bit of a surprise how he's taking this all.  
Oh, you mean you dating Matt. Well, that's to be expected.  
  
Oh yeah. Joe looked confident for a moment. I read about it in one of my psychology classes. He's probably just jealous. I mean, after all, you've been one of his best friends practically forever. He's worried about losing you to his other friend. And of course he's attracted to you. In case you didn't notice, most guys are.  
Are you Joe? Sora looked at him, suddenly shocked.  
A little, but I'm ignoring it. I have my eye on somebody else.  
Sora smirked suddenly. I see.  
Do you? For a moment Joe looked quite alarmed.  
Don't worry. I won't say anything to Mimi. Sora resumed the act of looking innocently out of the window. Behind her Joe groaned.  
I need to get a better poker face. He muttered.  
  
Hey, aren't you Mimi Tachikawa? A voice interrupted Mimi's reverie as she stared at the display of pink clothing in the Ginza mall. She had come here with the intention of keeping an eye on Ginza, but her own thoughts had distracted her. She had wandered into the stores, suddenly seeing in a different light all the material wealth that surrounded her. It fascinated her, the way that it was so gleaming, so expensive, and yet so ultimately meaningless. She was seeing the world once more through the perspective of someone who has just had to live through a great tragedy, who had needed to survive on her own. Now she turned as someone interrupted her thoughts.  
Mimi immediately recognized the similarity between this girl and Davis Motomiya.  
That's right. I'm glad that a popular girl like you remembers me.  
So what are you doing here? Mimi asked, walking alongside the other girl as she wandered through the store.  
Well, I saw you and, actually, I wanted to ask you a question.  
Mimi tried to sound neutral.  
you're with that group, right? You know the one I'm speaking of.  
Yes. If I hear you, I am.  
Well than, I know it's probably not necessary, but could you help keep an eye on Davis? I know he probably doesn't need it, but he has a habit of getting himself in trouble. For a moment the normal mask lifted from Jun's face, and Mimi was confronted with someone profoundly insecure.  
I'll try, but you of all people know that Davis can take care of himself. Mimi grasped Jun's hand firmly.  
Thanks. Justdon't let him know. Jun's voice trailed off.  
I'll try, but I think he already knows. Mimi smiled gently.  
  
Cody yelled. Yolei, if you could help me here?  
Yolei, recently arrived, dumped two squirming digimon into the full bathtub. How did they get this muddy?  
It's not mud. Cody sighed resolutely. It's prune juice.  
Does this have anything with why Davis is cleaning up the kitchen?  
Cody replied, taking down a familiar brush and beginning to scrub Armadillomon and Tentomon down.  
Well then, I won't ask. Yolei, ignoring protests, began to scrub Veemon's head, which was already stained a dark purple.   
  
Threat mail. Threat mail. Threat mail. Bills...Oh...here's my invitation to the faculty dinner and dance party. Professor Takenouchi, sorting through his mail shrugged and looked up at the dark figure lounging in his room. His hands were shaking rather noticeably and he was pale as a ghost. No, I don't have it here.  
Anything important in the threat mail? The figure asked. Adam stepped forward into the light.  
No. Nothing. Just the usual. People upset with digimon research because they think that they're ravening beasts or some such. You would get the same thing if you were head of the project. Besides, I'm sure I'm perfectly safe, aren't I?  
The apartment down the hall from yours? You know it?  
The one the Tanakas just moved out of? Yes, I know it.  
The ministry of defense bought it, they have two agents posted there at all times. They really don't want to lose the best digimon researcher in the world.  
Flattery gets you nowhere. Professor Takenouchi looked around. So, what about all of the others?  
I don't know. Adam admitted. Nobody's seen Achmed in about three days. The CIA and the Mossad put some of their best agents on that, but I don't expect that much except for maybe a body. MI-6 and MI-5 are combing the British Isles looking for Whistler, but I don't think that they'll find him either. Germany has Greentree and Rowan inside Japan, but they're not having much luck either, and the Russians are still trying to cover home base. Given the fact that we haven't a clue what's really going on, I'm not sure what to say.  
What about Rembrandt, Bach and Debonair? Prof. Takenouchi began to pack up some of his gear in order to return home.  
The CIA can't keep track of them at all, but I think they're somewhere in Europe, looking at that end of things. Bach's last message to me went something like 'Go away and stop bothering me'.  
That's Bach all right. Do we have a chance of heading this off?  
Nope. It doesn't look like it. And much as I hate to say it, it looks like your kids and their friends are in this up to their necks. Adam walked with Professor Takenouchi as they left his office, keeping close alongside as they walked through the mostly deserted corridors. Professor Takenouchi allowed himself a grunt to cover the sudden pang of terror in his heart. Adam nodded curtly to one of the night janitors as they passed the empty reception desk and stepped out into the parking garage.  
Who does he work for? Professor Takenouchi gestured with his head toward the janitor who was mopping the floor now.  
Ministry of Justice, anti-terrorism division. Adam hissed back as a black car pulled up to them. Have a nice ride home.  
Hello Takei. Professor Takenouchi slid into his seat, noting for the first time the looseness of the other's jacket and several buttons on the dashboard that seemed to have no purpose.  
Good evening Professor. His university hired driver pulled out from the curb and began the drive home.  
Adam told me everything today. Or at least part of everything. Professor Takenouchi tried to adapt a nonchalant stance, but failed quite a few times. So, how's life in the Diplomatic Protection Group?  
Not bad. Takei shrugged, and Professor Takenouchi imagined that, just for a second, he could see the outline of a handgun under the pressed black coat. Not bad at all. The hours are lousy, but the pay is good, and we have a nice dental plan.  
Good to know.  
Good to have you with us Professor. Stopping for your usual evening coffee?  
I think I need a drink, but the coffee will have to do.  
  
So Yamato, how was your day? Sora's mother had always remained firm and formal with her daughter's boyfriend, but, by now, Matt was used to this.  
It was fine Mrs. Takenouchi. He responded, bowing his head. Sora tried a smile.  
That's very good to hear. Sora's mother responded, carefully arranging another flower in the decoration she was making. Sora and Matt were just returning to watching the movie they had on when the door opened and Sora's father entered, looking very haggard with a man in a pressed suit that Sora had never seen before.  
Good evening. Mr. Takenouchi bowed to his family, who bowed back.  
You're home. Sora's mother smiled. I'll go get dinner back on. She stood up and quickly left the room, smiling happily, leaving Sora, Matt, and the man in the suit left.  
Sora, I don't want your mother to hear this, but how dangerous is this digimon business right now?  
Matt and Sora exclaimed sudden glances, alarmed glances and then looked back at Sora's father. Dad, it's all right, we know what we're doing, and it's all safe. They won't attack us...  
Sora, I need to know. Her father sounded deadly serious.  
Dad, I know that something's up, but I don't know why they're acting this way. I just don't. Sora looked confused at her father's sudden fervor.  
Sora, I've had a long, bad, confusing day. Six of my colleagues that I saw at a meeting last month are now dead. A dozen friends of mine have gone underground to avoid the same fate. I, who am just a professor at a University, have just survived my first assassination attempt. His face had gone deadly pale.  
We weren't told about that. Takei frowned at his older charge.  
I wasn't told either. Professor Takenouchi tried to control his shaking hands. The first thing I knew about it was when a man with a sniper rifle fell down off of a ten story building. Adam is nothing if not thorough.  
I wondered why he told you. Takei subsided for a moment.  
I've discovered that I may be at the heart of an international conspiracy much more deadly than just anti-digimon rage. I've found out that the Japanese government thinks that I'm so important that they've ordered me to be watched over day and night. I've found out that five countries have spies in my laboratory, that four government agencies have agents in my workplace...  
Six actually. Takei responded, smoothly and unruffled.  
Whatever. That my colleagues overseas are meeting with 'accidents', that I have government agents trailing myself and my family, and hiding in my home. At this he gave Takei a penetrating look, but Takei simply ignored him. And that I might be one of the four most valuable people in all of Japan. In one day I've gone from being a simple professor to a key element in an international intelligence network. I don't have time to unravel your evasions. I want the truth out of you. Is there something going on or not?  
Sora was at a loss for words. Matt's jaw was hanging open slackly. Dad...I...can you just come to that meeting we invited you to tomorrow evening. We'll explain things there if we can.  
Professor Takenouchi stood up, his face still dark, but the worry somewhat eased.  
Where is it? Takei asked, reaching under his jacket for the small communicator he always kept there.  
At the apartment of this guy named...  
At Adam's place. Professor Takenouchi interrupted.  
Takei put the communicator back. That's okay. I wouldn't want to assault that place with a bloody army.  
  
Oh man. Why do I have to go over this too? Davis mumbled.   
Because it's a good exercise in problem solving. Adam replied, unless you would like to do algebra instead?  
No. This is fine. Everybody laughed at Davis' hasty agreement. Adam had printed out ream after ream of data about the recent attacks, and had piled it haphazardly around his front room. Now the digidestined, school out, were standing around it, scratching their heads.  
All you have to do is find the pattern. Izzy had already explained the theory of Tai's that there might be humans helping the evil digimon. Then we can go onto something more fun.  
Well, I guess we should get started. TK shrugged and began to sort through the papers lying in the nearest pile.  
You Mr. Hida can do something else if you wish. Adam turned to Cody.  
Like what? Cody asked, sounding confused.  
Adam gestured and moved across the room to the huge, paneled sliding doors on the other side. They slid soundlessly open at his touch, revealing a room filled with huge cabinets of elegant wood on all sides, surrounding a square cushioned mat. The room had a different air around it, as if it were separated from the rest of the apartment.  
You can look at it all, and use anything racked in plastic. But remember, nothing racked in wood or metal. Adam told him in a warning tone, and then closed the door leaving Cody inside.  
So let's get down to business. He smiled brightly and began to move papers out of the way.  
  
Cody sat down on the mat in the middle of the room, wondering what Adam thought he would find interesting here. The cabinets around the room were the only thing there, and they tempted him, but his inbred manners kept him from looking into them. For about five minutes.  
After all, Izzy had not called him a curious kid because of his looks.  
Slowly he began to prowl around the room, examining each separate cabinet. The inspection did not tell him anything. He recognized the wood as polished mahogany, with a wonderful grain pattern, and extremely well fitted, but there was no other decoration. Brushing his hand against it lightly he quickly determined that it actually was as well polished as it looked, the finish so smooth it almost felt like cloth. Looking at the locks on the cabinets he realized it would be the work of a moment to open them, they were only handles with catches.  
Cody stepped back and fingered his chin. After all, Adam had given him permission to look at them, so it was not as if he was prying. And he was really curious as to why Adam thought he would enjoy this room. Taking a deep breath he walked resolutely up to the first cabinet, the one farthest from the door and opened it.  
And caught his breath.  
There was the most spectacular display of weaponry that he had ever seen. It was quickly clear what Adam had meant about not using anything racked in metal and wood. There, either placed carefully in wooden carved holders or mounted on the wall were a variety of different weapons that gleamed when they were without sheaths. Cody recognized a Katana/Wakizashi set of splendid magnificence unsheathed ceremoniously in one corner, a particularly find Naginata standing upright in one corner, a broader bladed Kung-Fu sword from China on display, and a dozen other weapons he could not even name. Axes, something that looked like a mace, a set of daggers as long as his arm, something that looked like an old Roman Gladium that he had once seen in a museum. Each weapon was bright and polished, and there were dozens more, bladed ends down, embedded in slots in a thick wooden bottom that was as high as he was. Each weapons was also obviously functional. These were not for sparring, these were actual weapons, for killing. In the center, crossed ceremoniously, was a katana and the massive western-style longsword he himself had used in battle.  
Opening the next cabinet to his left he found another collection, this time of solely oriental curved swords. This cabinet had a set of plastic racks in the front, looking like storage equipment from the local department store, in which were kept wooden and metal replicas of the real weapons. On the right side, the cabinet contained straight bladed swords, with their imitation counterparts. Moving around the room, gazing fascinated into the many different cabinets Cody found polearms, archery equipment, polished, gleaming axes, maces, a few flails, a set of oddly shaped knives and weapons he could not even place.  
Carefully he took a practice long sword out of its rack and swung it a few times, getting used to the balance. It was completely different from the kendo gear he was used to, but he admired the weight of it, and carefully, enthralled by the artistry of the sword, and the effort that had gone into making it, he began to move up and down the floor in a kendo pattern, and let the blade take over.  
  
I don't get it. Yolei threw her arms up, maps of Tokyo littering her working space. She had been trying to find a geographical pattern to the attacks but was having no luck at all, was able to do nothing. The patterns looked haphazard to her.  
Maybe if we had more data. Ken suggested, looking over her shoulder and shrugging. But then again, maybe not.  
So what does this tell us? Kari asked from where she was sitting next to TK. She was looking through the archives of pictures from the attacks that she had found, and had so far discovered nothing. Every time she looked it looked just like a normal street in Tokyo to her. TK was not having much luck with his pile of photographs. Ken shrugged again and returned to the pile of budget reports and damage reports from that attacks. Izzy had not budged from his computer for quite a while, examining every computerized piece of data he could find. Davis was examining the brochures about the events quite carefully, while Adam was painstakingly trying to recreate the actual sequence of events from copies of the police witness accounts.  
A big fat nothing. Izzy replied, leaning back.  
Hmmm....I'm up for a break. Anybody want something to drink? Adam stood up and moved into his kitchenette, looking through the refrigerator curiously.  
Yolei responded quickly. What do you have?  
I have what looks like Coke, orange juice, apple juice, cold water, some kind of mixed juice I don't remember, and about a million and one gallons of sports drink.  
Yolei rolled her eyes at his selection. How about some Coke?  
Adam removed a bottle with the familiar red and white label, and looked around. Anybody else?  
Kari and TK looked at him.  
I'll take some orange juice. Izzy volunteered, not turning around.  
Me too. Ken volunteered.  
Right you are. Three cokes and two orange juices coming up now. Adam went back to carefully getting out five glasses and pouring into them.  
Well, there are some similarities. Davis pondered the brochure he was looking at now carefully. "They all have live music at these events somewhere.  
That's not much help. There's a lot of that in Tokyo. TK responded.  
Let's see. They all have permission from the Tokyo Metro Government. Davis squinted at the page. They all have connections to the Japanese Red Cross as a charity foundation...  
That's probably not important. Ken replied.  
They have some similar sponsors. Here we go, Mitsubishi sponsored five of the seven events. Fuji sponsored five also, but a different set of five. Davis sorted through another brochure. This bank, Nippon International, managed to sponsor six. And this company, Saffron Corporation managed to sponsor seven.  
Adam dropped the glass he was pouring into.  
For a moment absolute silence reigned in the apartment. The digidestined were staring at the shattered glass on the counter and puddle of orange juice spreading around the bottom. The sliding door opened and Cody stuck his head out. But Adam did not seem to care, he was only staring at Davis with an intent, almost killer expression on his face.  
What did you say? The words came out glacially slow and dangerously, hard as iron, cold as ice.  
S...s...Saffron Corporation... Davis stammered, alarmed at this sudden change.  
And have you ever heard of the Saffron Corporation before now? Adam thundered, his voice still dangerous.  
No sir. Kari muttered.  
I see...I think I have to go ask some questions. Ken, you said you had taken self defense before. Did you really do thorough training?  
Yes sir. Ken replied.  
Good. Look for anything you can find on Saffron Corporation. Look for anything you can find on the attacks. Izzy, when you said that you were going to have some adults over tonight and you were going to explain this whole affair to me, were you by any chance inviting either Professor Takenouchi or Mr. Ishida?  
I invited both of them. Izzy was staring at him with wide eyes.  
Good...I think we'll have a little talk with them, and with you later. You might want to get some of your digimon over here too. Can you contact them?  
  
Then you might want to do it. Adam was picking up pieces of things, keys, wallet, and a few black pouches that Izzy had not noticed before. Finally, as he got his shoes on, he stepped back into the room and came around to stand in front of Ken.  
And I'm going to double lock the door. If anyone tried to break in before I get back... He shook his head. Well, I suppose that you kids might be able to take care of yourself anyway. He raised a cell phone to his head. Heihachiro, I need you tell the Ministry of Justice that the you-know-what just hit the fan. I think it did at least. Then I want three extra security teams at my apartment. I think it's time to pull in the welcome mat and break out the heavy armament. From now on, everyone is to go dressed to kill and loaded for bear. He put the cell phone away even as he checked the status of a revolver that seemed as big as a truck that he had pulled out of his jacket.  
Yolei managed to stammer out.  
Adam paused in the act of opening the door. I think that you might actually be in more trouble than I am, and that makes me worried.  
  
Takei paused in the act of driving Professor Takenouchi to his evening meeting with his daughter. He and Jim were oddly subdued today, still probably wrapping their minds around yesterday's revelations, but that was not what worried him. What worried him was that his radio was crackling.  
Takei here. He muttered into it.  
Buttercup, Gold Rose, Triangle. The radio crackled and then went dead.  
He swore under his breath, causing Professor Takenouchi and Jim to jump just a little. This is car four-one. Request escort.  
This is Mainframe. Escort on the way. Follow the nice police car.  
Roger that. Bullfinch out.  
What's wrong? Professor Takenouchi demanded.  
Nothing. That was the code that tells us that something's up more than it should be, that your kids may be deeper involved in this than we thought, and that we may be about neck deep in shit.  
Three codes for a warning? Jim asked quietly.  
No, the last one is to remind us to reload.  
  
Mr. Ishida pulled his van into the apartment building's parking lot, and stepped out next to Mr. Hida who had waited for him to park. He was only mildly surprised to see the old man there, and was more resigned now to what he was about to here.  
You too? Mr. Hida asked.  
Yeah. Why do I get the feeling that my kids are getting in trouble again?   
They are fine individuals.  
I know, I just get nervous whenever they start trying to get themselves killed while trying to save the world. Mr. Ishida turned around. Good evening Professor, Jim.  
Jim greeted them curtly, glancing at the black-suited man following them.  
I guess I'll wait here. The man in the black suit bowed, and then prowled off into the rows of parked cars.  
Who was... Mr. Ishida began.  
My driver. Professor Takenouchi responded curtly.  
Ah. Moving up in the world are we? Mr. Ishida asked. His only reply was a grunt.  
  
By the time the four adults, Adam and Master Ishiguro were in and seated, Izzy had managed to prepare his thoughts, and was ready to give his presentation to the others, who looked ready to receive it.  
He started with the story. The full story. Everything, everything everyone remembered from that fight in Highton View Terrace when they were only babies to that fateful summer camp, to the battle for Odaiba, to the Dark Masters. Then TK took over, speaking calmly about the battle with Diaboromon and then about the battles they had faced with the arrival of the digimon emperor, and the final showdown with MaloMyostismon. Throughout it their parents and associates remained shocked, staring only blankly at the tales of heroism and courage. Finally Ken and Tai took over and they explained, in painstaking detail, their latest journey, everything they knew, everything they had found out so far, and about Khartan's emergence into the real world. At the end Izzy gave them the rundown of what was happening, where it was happening and why.  
At the end it was Adam who spoke up. Well, this certainly explains some things.  
I'm sorry we kept this from you. Izzy confessed, bowing apologetically.  
No, you were right to do so. Adam returned the bow, but his face was grim. I don't know what to do now, but it does clear up a lot of mysteries. Master Ishiguro nodded.  
Like what? Yolei asked, but now Professor Takenouchi and Mr. Hida were looking just as grim as Adam. Adam sighed, and turned toward Mr. Ishida.  
Today your kids found a correlation between the attacks recently and an organization known as Saffron Corporation. Do you know anything about them?  
Mr. Ishida suddenly went as pale as a sheet, he looked honestly as terrified as TK and Matt had ever seen him. After a moment he managed to stammer out No, I have no idea...  
Adam shrugged as if to say that this was of no import. Anyway, Saffron Corporation is a dummy corporation, owned by an organization known as Utopia Corp. There's a lot of internet stuff that suspects them of being some shadowy organization bent on controlling the world and stuff.  
Mr. Ishida seemed to deflate after a moment.   
Anyway, I did have an encounter with them once. At this village called White Springs down in sub-Saharan Africa...  
Mr. Ishida thrust upward, upending the coffee table and sending paper showering everywhere. His eyes were wild this time. You know! He yelled, pointing at Adam accusingly.  
Yes, I know. Adam's voice was level. Matt and TK were staring at their father, who was now looking so different that they could barely identify him as their dad.  
But if they ever find out...  
Adam gestured around. This room is swept for bugs three times a day. The glass on the window to the balcony is a special glass that prevents sound waves from coming through clearly, and inhibits the ability of others to read lips through it. It is also bulletproof. The door looks wooden, but has a grade A steel core. There are five motion detectors covering the outside hallways, two security interlocks backing up the normal alarms. Hideo here has been over every corner of the building, and there seems to be no way to break in. It is reinforced enough to survive most truck bomb blasts, and this particular apartment is specially armored to prevent lucky penetrations with portable artillery weapons. If Takei was kind enough to stay and prowl the lower levels we have seven armed agents within the building itself, and I Adam raised the corner of his jacket to reveal two large and dangerous looking handguns. ...am hardly unarmed. You are completely safe here. I think it's time for the truth to come out.  
Then maybe it is. Mr. Ishida stood up, hands trembling, but resolute. Maybe it is.  



	5. Distopia

Disclaimer:  Digimon is somebody else's property, and I intend to get no profits out of this work.

Author's Note:  Yes, I really do exist!  And I'm sorry about being so late.  I'll explain more fully when the next episode comes out.

**Episode XXX**

**Distopia**

            The digidestined were silent.  Matt and TK looked shocked.  Mr. Ishida had begun to shake.

            "Maybe we should start the story." Master Ishiguro stood up.  "Or more accurately Adam.  He's the only one who was there at the beginning."

            "Hmmm..." Adam stood up and began to pace up and down the room.  "The question is, where to start.  Maybe at the start of all conspiracy stories.  You know the type, people who say that all crime in the world is connected by a shadowy cartel, a group of evil directors whose job it is to make the most profits and gain the most power over the rest of the world.  Well, the truth is that's all bullshit.  Most groups of criminals would sooner kill each other than look at each other, and the idea of getting some vast, multi-corporate entity to exist without dying in the infighting is ridiculous.  But these ides have some basis in fact.

            "The story starts in the third world about two and a half decades ago.  People began to suspect that something was keeping the conflicts in the poorer sections of the world heated up.  There wasn't much evidence at the time, only the fact that leaders tended to shut up at odd times, that they tended to avoid certain queries, refused to disclose where they were getting their weapons, where their profits were coming from.  Back then the cold war was still going full blast, so nobody was too worried.

            "But these incidences only increased as the cold war wound down.  That got people suspicious.  In particular it aroused the suspicions of two men in the United Nations, William Sandburg who worked for the Office for the Coordination of Human Affairs, and Diego Vazquez, who was an adjunct to the International Court of Justice."

            "Where are William and Diego now?" Mr. Hida asked suddenly.

            "Diego is on a long vacation, theoretically in the highlands of Peru.  I couldn't find him if I tried.  William had a car accident involving a man with a rocket-propelled grenade.  I hunted down his killer in New Dehli about three years ago."

            "Ah." Cody's grandfather fell silent.

            "Anyway, they tried to use UN agents and human-rights workers in Africa and Asia to get the answers they wanted.  But the people the UN sent were either bribed or blackmailed into abandoning their line of inquiry."

            "If they were bribed, why didn't they just make up a story?" Izzy asked.

            "Because they were good people." Ishiguro responded from the corner.

            "Shouldn't that make them harder to bribe?" Kari asked.

            Adam laughed harshly.  "No, it makes them easier.  A local politician pulls the worker aside and says that this is a matter that is personally embarrassing, and that if the worker lets the issue drop, the politician will pull some strings and make sure that the next aid shipment isn't intercepted by bandits like the previous ten.  The worker will think that it involves some sex scandal or something, some cover-up scheme, and will laughingly let it go.  But what happened is they also reported to William and Diego about all of this.

            "Well, it didn't take too long for the two in charge to put two and two together.  The problem appeared when some people kept pushing after being requested to leave it alone.  Either their higher-ups ordered them off, or they had 'accidents'.  This scared the bejesus out of William and Diego, especially since people were having 'accidents' in parts of the world as diverse as Southeast Asia , Southern Africa and South America, all for the same reasons.  

            "So they called everything off for a year, and created the most dangerous weapon in recent history.  William had access to certain programs involving volunteer aid workers.  So together they came up with a list of fifty-six young and idealistic volunteers.  They were selected from the financially independent, so it would be more difficult to bribe them, and so they could travel without requiring support from the UN budget.  They were selected for different skills they already had, or for connections they had made.  I, as you can already guess, had applied to the UN for a chance to do aid work as a college student with specialties in Computer Science, but I also owned through my uncle massive stock in Averson electronics.  I remember that one guy, Jacques, was selected solely because he could speak ten languages fluently, and a girl named Rei was picked because she had tremendous stock in a company that specialized in world travel.  They even got the world expert at the martial arts, Janero Chou, by some mechanism, away from his mountaintop in the Himalayas.

            "So they got fifty college age students together in a room at the UN headquarters building in New York, and the two of them presented every piece of evidence they had, corroborated.  By the time they finished their presentation it was obvious that there was some kind of global level conspiracy going on, and it wasn't friendly.  Then they asked us to hunt down this group, and find the truth.  Serve as traveling inspectors, take a look at how human aid was being done all over the world, and try and link together all these inconsistencies.  And so, being the idealistic fools we were, we said yes."

            "You would have said yes anyway." Master Ishiguro hid a smile.

            "Well, maybe." Adam looked temporarily embarrassed.  "Anyway, we went globetrotting.  And we went literally everywhere.  That's where I learned to fight with a sword.  We went into some not nice places.  Brian and I used to joke with Jan that together, we had been in every brothel in Southeast Asia.  Sometimes I wonder if that was true."

            "What were you doing there?" Joe asked, looking startled.

            "Checking where the girls came from.  Why they had come there.  Many of them came the usual routes, poverty, family, but some had much more interesting stories to tell.  Stories of forced labor and kidnapping and slavery.  Sometimes we ended up having to break heads with some goons to get away afterwards.  

            "Anyway, we began to put two and two together, and the underlying thread was the worldwide Utopia Corporation.  Izzy, what did you find out about them?"

            "That they are a huge corporation.  They control openly a huge number of different corporations, in a whole bunch of fields." Izzy fumbled around for a moment.  "I have the list here.  Let's see.  Damocles, Saffron, Utopian Industries, Utopia Enterprises in general concerns, Utopia BioChem, Thelema Research, Draxon Pharmacutecal in BioChemical and Medical research, Raydon-Koessler and Technatos engineering firms, Commonwealth Legal, Tojiki Investment, Tundra Development Inc., a whole list of things.  They have interests in every field."

            "Almost every field according to that." Ishiguro grumbled ominously.

            "What does that mean?" Yolei asked curiously.

            "Utopia is a multi-billion dollar enterprise, dedicated to creating a tremendous profit, and solidifying their hold on a variety of interests.  The problem is that they don't list their biggest source of income."

            "Biggest source?" Izzy sounded curious, none of the others were quite as interested.

            "All of those companies invest heavily.  They make profits by coming up with new ways to do things, but they also lose a lot of money in failed ventures.  Utopia would only be moderately successful if they couldn't capitalize on one of their largest industries.  Utopian Arms.  There's a company that makes several billion a year in bulk profits.  And God knows where they get most of that.  That's a tremendous amount of profits, considering what they are.  And that's why they have to do what they do."

            "Which is?" Tentomon asked.

            "Utopian Arms produces what is basically second-rate military equipment.  They design it that way, so that the stuff is cheap and affordable.  Third world countries love them because when they're dealing with Utopian Arms they get good, dependable stuff for cheap prices.  And that's what makes Utopian Arms so big, they sell to a lot of people, and they sell a lot of bulk.

            "But they got greedy, or that's what we thought anyway.  They developed a system to keep themselves permanently in the black, by playing off one side against another."

            "How did that work?" Ken inquired.

            "Simple." Adam smiled, more in his element now.  "Think of it like this.  Two groups are fighting over a country, a government and a group of rebels.  For a few years everything has been pretty evenly matched.  Now, somehow the government comes up with the money to place a large order for the latest weapons systems that Utopian Arms has to offer.  The contract comes through, and armed with the next generation in brutality and decisiveness the government drives the rebels back.

            "The rebels are desperate of course; they don't have anywhere else to turn.  That's when Utopia makes their move.  They come in with another factor and offer bargain prices with long-term loans or some sort of deal, and the rebels get another version of Utopian Arms' latest toys, under a different manufacturing label.  If they sold the government tanks, they sell the rebels anti-tank missiles, if they sell the government helicopters; they sell the rebels anti-aircraft missiles and guns, or maybe even jet fighters.  It doesn't really matter what it is.  But then, if there's something different they want, they cut another deal with the government, sell them another load of stuff, and pretty soon they can keep this conflict going forever, with both sides significantly in debt to Utopia.

            "The problem with this approach, of course, is that most of these countries with significant fighting really aren't very rich.  If you took their entire budget for a year, they couldn't afford that stuff.  So they have to come up with other sources of income.  One of the best ways for Utopia Corp. to get income is to get it off of these governments, essentially trading land for weapons, land with oil or diamonds, or some other resource.  But not even that works forever.  What we found was that they were encouraging the use of alternative methods of payment.

            "Human slavery, selling children to brothels and workhouses all over the world.  Enforced slave labor camps, like the old Nazi concentration camps, just as brutal, just as deadly.  Growing drugs as cash crops, and running a huge international drug cartel, or at least running in cahoots with one.  Diplomatic favors that foreign politicians were willing to pay big money to get.  

            "When we started to poke around, one of their higher-ups got nervous.  He had one of the original students, Jake Fortens from Canada, kidnapped, tortured and murdered.  That got the ball rolling all right.  We already had a silly name for ourselves, we called ourselves Helios after the old Greek word for sun, and we had made friends all over the world during our travels.  They couldn't take us out by cutting our funding from the UN or anything, because we all had our own resources, and now things were getting personal.  So there we were, Helios, with agents in almost every country on earth, with a huge multi-national corporation trying to chase us down.  I remember shooting it out with warlords in Mogadishu, fighting with assassins in Hong Kong, duels in eastern Europe with the remains of the KGB..."

            "I remember that fight in Sofia with what was left of the Sekretni Sluzlbi." Ishiguro chipped in.  "The mafia there really didn't like you."

            "Oh come on.  That wasn't nearly as bad as all three of the golden triangle dealers jumping us at once.  I still have a scar from that one.  Anyway, we were waging a global war at that point, when Utopia's agents made a mistake.  They accidentally managed to blast a British consulate that we were at.  We were exchanging information involving local crimes with the authorities, but they must have thought that we were trying to blow their cover.  We wouldn't have dared, nobody would ever have believed us if we had, but they were too paranoid for their own good.  The thing that they screwed up in was that they managed to call in their debts to three rival gangs, got them to attack all at the same time.  That must have gotten somebody suspicious, because two days later we were contacted by the elements within the world's intelligence organizations.

            "We formed an alliance, and overnight Helios, with its contacts and allies in every country, became an international powerhouse.  Officially we didn't exist, but the battle underground continued on, until White Springs." Adam's face fell, he looked like a man about to uncover unpleasant truths.  "That was where we finally found out what they had been doing.  They had needed a place to test their newest biological weapons program, a method for increasing human abilities.  We hadn't believed that such a thing could exist, but they were doing extensive testing on the human nervous system.  They were testing reactions to despair, hopelessness, hope, courage, pain and friendship all at once.  And now we know why."

            "Why?" Izzy asked.

            "We'll get to that." Ishiguro sounded more dangerous than ever now.

            "At White Springs, in poorest Africa, they set up a complicated research facility to test these things.  The problem with doing tests like this is they require the test subjects to be both human and alive.  After about a year of casework, of chasing their dirtiest agents across the globe, we finally assembled enough of Helios Ascendent to launch a full frontal assault on their compound.  And we found that they had been taking people apart, literally tearing them to bits, to do their experimentation.  We destroyed their compound from top to bottom, and were even more savage later on, killing every man and woman who willingly participated in the research.  And at the end, we documented all the evidence we had, and sent it to every media outlet we knew.  Perhaps Mr. Ishida can tell you more about that."

            "It came in on a Monday afternoon." Mr. Ishida's voice was quiet.  "I remember because it was my first day back editing the news desk for Fuji TV, and I always had Sunday off.  Anyway, I was in the office when we get this set of video tapes and hardcopies of all these reports in a big cardboard box.  The news editor then was a big guy named Watashi, anyway, he gave it this funny look, popped tape one in one of our players, and started it going.  It was the most gruesome, bloody thing I had ever seen, and I helped do war coverage in the Middle East too.  But five minutes into the tape we knew that we were sitting on the biggest story since Watergate in the US.  Watashi was so surprised that he said we should go through all the evidence and put together a big report tomorrow.

            "That night one of his two sons got his leg broken in a car accident in Ginza.  Nancy had a problem too, two guys accosted her while she was going shopping late at night, and gave her a business card to give to me.  The next day all of us at the office got a message from the Saffron Corporation, the first time I had ever heard of them.  Basically, all it said was 'How many loved ones can you lose?'.  At that point the management came in and told us point blank that they were canceling all news on this because some of the big corporate sponsors were pulling out on them if it went through.  I haven't ever been that scared since.  Not even with my kids in the Digital World.  There they have digimon to protect them, and they know what they're up against.  Not like here, where there would only be a moment of pain and terror.  Every day I wonder how much they watch us, watch my family.  I'm senior at the news desk now.  How much are they watching me?"

            "After White Springs, they negotiated a peace." Adam continued, stone faced.  "They had managed to quash any chance of an organized news release, but rumors escaped.  At the same time, we had enough information now to cause them major grief.  They agreed to cancel human testing, and reduce their more inhumane practices as long as we forestalled on releasing that information.  Of course, in that case, peace meant that our operatives weren't supposed to shoot each other at point blank range.  The world was still filled with the two sides, us, and them.  The sunburst and the distopia."

            Cody started for a moment, staring at the ring Adam was displaying, a ring with a golden sunburst on it.  "I've seen this before."

            "Yes." His grandfather agreed.  "I received a communication with it yesterday.  You caught a glimpse of it before I could put it in my pocket."

            "But, I thought I knew it from before that." Cody paused, and then his eyes widened.  "There's one of those in my father's memorial."

            "Why would your father have one of those?" Davis asked abruptly, but Ken shushed him with a look.

            "Yes." Adam answered gravely.  "Your father was one of us."

            "Is that why he died?" Cody demanded.

            "I fear that might have been part of it.  He was escorting one of our highly placed officials, an Egyptian trying to arrange a trade summit.  He was unpopular because of his anti-corporate stance.  But I still suspect the gunman tried to get him because he was one of ours.  The truth is that I, who was covering this mission, was responsible for your father's death.  There were five assassins sent to take him out.  I got four, but I wasn't quick enough to get the fifth.  The police captured him at the end."

            "So that's why..." There was a long moment when Cody studied his shoes.  When he looked up again his eyes were full of tears, but were steadfast.  His life had just been shaken down to its roots.  He saw, for a moment, his father, young again, vividly alive, accepting the charge that he had been given, to protect a man no matter the cost, because it had to be done.  Adam stared at him compassionately for a moment, and then continued.

            "Then, about five years ago, everything changed.  Immediately after the Odaiba Fog incident, Utopia descended upon Japan like a tornado.  They weren't doing anything illegal, but they were doing a lot of monitoring tests on the Tokyo environment.  We naturally kept tabs on them, but it took us a year or two to figure out what they were after."

            "Which was?" Tai prompted impatiently.

            "Digimon.  We didn't figure all of it out for a while, but it appears that they were trying to find out how humans could connect to digimon, and what kind of powers the digimon could actually use.  And what kind of powers they could use.  Ever since then there's been a race between undercover elements in the major governments and Utopia to try and find out the most about how Digimon tick.  But we think that their experiments back in White Springs were about something related to Digimon already, way back then.  Until now we couldn't make the connection."

            "What is the connection?" Tai asked again, but Izzy snapped his fingers before Adam could reply.

            "It's easy." Izzy exclaimed.  "And so simple too.  Digimon respond to our emotions, they are, after all, part digital data, part dreams.  Nightmares too.  So, when we give them certain emotions they react differently.  Anger and courage seem to have no physical existence, but feed one to Greymon, you get MetalGreymon, but use the other and you get SkullGreymon.  If they could figure out how to use those powers they could do what Kari's already been able to do with her crest, amazing things that are way beyond anything we can do normally.  Or even worse, they could create those emotions in people.  Imagine being able to cause love, or hate, at a whim.  It's simply incredible.  But wait." Something drew him up short.  "If that's what they were up to, why were they researching digimon before they first came through?"

            "That's part of the story that nobody else here knows." Adam looked up.  "And that's Ishiguro's part."

            "I have almost no memories of my parents.  They left me alone when I was very small." Master Ishiguro sat down carefully, in a meditating posture.  "I do not believe that they choose to abandon me, but rather that they could not afford to raise me.  I was given, as is the tradition in certain rural areas, to the local temple to see if they could find something to do with me.  But they saw that I had potential they could not use, and they sent me finally to the Dragon's Nest."

            "The Dragon's Nest?" Davis burst out.  "There's a Dragon here?"

            "In a way." Ishiguro smiled.  "The Dragon's Nest is an ancient monastery sitting on the top of the Himalayas.  Actually, it may not be a monastery, as I have known no religion to ever take hold there.  To tell truth I have no idea what it actually would be considered, but inside boys and girls from all over the world are brought up to study.  Some seek perfection through song, and they sing constantly.  Some through the written word, and they do nothing but write.  Some through quiet contemplation and the rote of physical labor.  Some seek it through combat."

            "The Sattoro Gesai." Patamon whispered out, barely audible.

            "Yes.  We created that ancient art, though I do not know what language the name comes from.  But all our orders serve to protect and defend, with words, politics or steel, the Ancient, the title for the highest of the leaders there.  He is...difficult to describe.  He has the wisdom of the grandfather, and the strength of youth.  In the year after Helios united, Janero was recalled to the Dragon's Nest.  Adam came with him.  And then the ancient told them the story.

            "The story is strange, and I do not know if it is true.  Surely it explains some things, but it confuses others.  Nevertheless it will do.  Long ago there were supposedly many civilizations, each seeking to expand.  None sailed so boldly perhaps, or traded so fiercely as the ancient civilization without a name.  We call them the Eldest.

            "Like I said, we have no hard evidence about this at all.  But the story will do.  Anyway, we are told that the true power of Eldest came from collecting a material we call essence crystal, the catalyst of life, which they had an abundance of.  These crystals are formed by all thinking life, sometimes inside of us, sometimes outside of us.  Sometimes they are passed down, sometimes they are left behind.  The powers of this crystal were supposed to be fantastic, enabling them to do anything they wanted, and with it they built a mighty empire.  Their cities would easily have rivaled ours now, and that was thousands of years ago.  But their power attracted great evil, and thus they were assaulted.  It is unknown whether they won or lost, but the explosion as they used the total powers of their race was too much, and their world was swallowed.  And that would have been the end of it, but their traders, seeking to curry favor with the inhabitants of the outside world, had taken two pieces, mighty stones in their own right, but insignificant compared to the combined might of the Eldest, to different parts of the world.  The first of the Ancients received the piece known as the Dragon's Tear, and in the west the Philosopher's Stone was delivered to the inhabitants of England."

            "Isn't the Philosopher's Stone that thing in the Harry Potter movie?" Mimi asked.

            "Yes, but not the same one.  The stones caused problems though; they were objects of power, tremendous power.  One could, by luck or by skill, obtain their own piece of essence, enabling them to perform acts that seemed magical, but only by controlling a large stone, or a source of power built up over the ages, could they hope to do any great works of magic.  As the population increased, those shards of crystal grew more and more dispersed, appearing in smaller, but more numerous quantities, bonded with skilled and determined people.  However, the original stones from the Eldest were the ultimate weapons.

            "In the first years the Dragon's Tear was shattered.  The largest fragment stayed with the Ancient, while the smaller fragments were scattered throughout Asia.  In the west the wizard Merlin strove against the darkness of his day, but on his deathbed, they used his own crystal and sealed him away inside of it.  However, such an act cracked the crystal in half, and his last faithful apprentice, Nimue, stole away with one half, the half that possessed the goodness from Merlin's soul, named the Ascendent.  The other half, the Nadir, gathered the accumulated evil of its handlers.  So, for many years it persisted, the Nadir was taken to the continent, where many men tried to use it for great evil.  But always, in an isolated forest in the English countryside, there lived an heir of Merlin.  Always they struggled.  Eventually the Nadir was rested from the dead hands of a French count by the Frenchman Robespierre, at the start of his Reign of Terror.  But it was at the end that it was taken from him, by stealth, by agents of Napoleon.  So Robespierre's Reign ended, and the powers of the ancient stone were given to Napoleon.  But Napoleon failed to understand the stone's power, and he lost the stone near Austerlitz.  Later discovered it was taken to the Imperial Hapsburg museum in Vienna where it remained in a reserved collection, not put out on display.  With it safely out of the way the English masters were able to rest, using their power to extend their lifespan, to change their world for the better.  And so the powers of England grew still more, while those of the continent waned, until the latest master, the Royal Oak, came unto his power."

            "Why, if this is true, didn't the English masters simply wipe out the Nadir?  Or rejoin it into the Philosopher's stone?" Izzy wanted to know.

            "You underestimate the stone." Adam replied bluntly.  "It is, in itself, essentially a sentient being.  It has the power to conceal itself, to hide itself from those it does not want to find it.  It also has the power to call out to those who might use it as it wills, for it feeds off human suffering.  And so, it was stolen from the Imperial collection by a young German art student, a man named Adolf Hitler.

            "Thus begins the saddest story in the history of these stones.  Hitler was able to channel the power in his stone into his personal charisma.  Even worse was the fact that the Nadir can enlarge its powers by absorbing other human essences, by absorbing their souls to an extent.  It isn't the same, but at death the energy stored up in your consciousness is released, and the Nadir can feed off of this.  So six million Jews went to the gas chamber to feed the monstrous power of the Nadir.  A continent writhed in anguish to feed his desire.

            "But this had unintended consequences.  For all his raw power, Hitler was an amateur.  He had not studied the history of the stone, and he did not know how to best employ it.  He was unaware of its opposite.  And so, before he was truly ready, he entered the awareness of the Royal Oak, who raised the full might of the Ascendent against him."

            "In the east," Ishiguro continued from Adam.  "an ambitious Japanese warrior who longed for the days of samurai conquests once again assembled two of the largest stone fragments of the Dragon's Tear, the Divine Light and the Dragon's Fang on a ruby ring, giving him unanticipated power.  He helped drive his country over the edge into the madness of war.  But he, in turn, roused the Ancient from his throne.

            "The rest was history.  Although the powers of darkness initially won them great swaths of land, they were overmatched by the combined powers of those bearing the stones of light.  In the end, with his country near ruins, the samurai came to the Ancient and surrendered his ring before committing seppuku at the Dragon's Nest.  Hitler took his own life.  The Nadir was never found."

            "I don't see what this has to do with Utopia.  Or with us." Izzy noted clinically.

            "That's simple." Adam smiled tightly.  "The Ancient foresaw dark days ahead of us.  I do not know whether the Tear was guiding him, or what, but he presented Janero with the ring, now known as the Divine Blade.  He told me to go to England, to find the grove and find some way to receive the Ascendent.  I will not say what happened between myself and the Royal Oak, but I received the stone at last.  Somehow, Utopia had become aware of the existence of the Essence crystals, in some way, and were working on harnessing their unimaginable energies.  So we struck against them, uniting our power to hold them at bay.  When Janero vanished to points unknown he left Ishiguro his ring, and together we made sure that everything kept balanced.  Until five years ago, when the picture changed."

            "The digimon disrupted it?" Izzy wanted to know again.

            "No.  We can detect other stones nearby, other shards of essence crystals.  And you guys resonate like church bells.  Every one of you has two signatures, one from those things you call digivices, the others from you body itself.  I think that those may be your crests.  And each one of you feels different.  You carry the power within you to change the world."

            "Hey!" TK exclaimed, digging in his pocket.  "Something is weird.  I just remembered something, I can pick the two of them up on our D3s."

            "What?" Izzy jerked his out in shock.  Sure enough, Adam and Ishiguro showed up as two white dots.

            "The digimon seem to bring this power out.  That must be why Utopia wants to research them so badly.  If they could fully control this power, they would be unstoppable." Professor Takenouchi mused.

            "How much can you do with this?" Izzy asked curiously, still examining his D3.

            Adam shrugged.  "How much do you want?  From the sound of it, you've harnessed some pretty powerful energies yourself already, so I don't know why you would wish to see demonstrations of what you've already seen.  I too, as well as Kari, can light up like a candle if I want to, although I doubt it would do me much good.  I have no digimon partner, so I cannot aid them with that power, but I can do to myself what you do with them.  I can make myself faster, stronger and increase my mental focus.  I can even use some of their energy projection techniques."  He held up his hand, palm out and pointed up, and a shard of flame curled up from it, dancing there for a moment, before his hand flicked and the flame disappeared.  "It's not much to look at, and I don't wish to use these powers outside of battle, but they are potent.

            "And each of you has it." Adam looked at them all with focused eyes.  "Each one of you has this kind of power.  Each one of you can run so fast that you break the sound barrier.  Each one of you can walk on water.  Each one of you can punch a hole through a tank.  And you wonder why Utopia might be interested in you."

            "So what do we do about it?" Izzy asked.

            "I don't know.  Despite our long-term involvement in this, you have the most expertise in this area.  It's your plan." Ishiguro shrugged.

            "Then we attack." Tai pounded his fist down.

            "Why?" Joe interrupted, looking surprised.  "Why are we taking the offensive here."

            "He does have a point." Ken mused.  "My sensei had a saying, 'If you cannot take the strength from an enemy, you must take the initiative from him instead'."

            "Which means?" Davis asked, looking puzzled.

            "Simple." Sora looked up at the ceiling.  "Utopia is a lot bigger than we are.  I'm sure that they are keeping Helios very busy trying to keep track of digimon research all over the world.  That makes them the biggest enemy.  Since we can't change that, we have to take the initiative, to make them react to us."

            "Aren't we jumping to a conclusion here, that Utopia is linked to Khartan?" Matt inquired, leaning forward.

            "No." Kari replied, also looking thoughtful. "I can feel it.  These things are too coincidental to be anything else.  Those two are linked."

            "I agree." Tai murmured.  "I think that they do have human help.  That's just what it feels like.  Maybe I'm finally getting those leader instincts that everyone keeps talking about.  The question is then what we do about it.  After all, we can't exactly take them to court based on this."

            "Another question would be what their purpose is." Izzy pointed out thoughtfully.  "After all, I cannot see how a corporation that wishes to make a profit would gain anything by allying with a dictator determined to take over the world.  It's a lot to swallow all at once."

            "It's possible that Khartan is running Utopia." Tentomon pointed out.

            "Possible but unlikely." Izzy frowned.  "Why would he have been concerned with our world for so long, with one of his own."

            "He could have been greedy." Patamon suggested.

            "I don't trust that any more than you do." Gatomon curled a whisker.  "After all, he's shown no evidence of anything besides clever planning so far.  If I were him, I would certainly not expend this much effort without planning something."

            "Maybe they're his scientists." Joe suggested.  "After all, he has to have them somewhere, doesn't he?  I expect that devising a way to get power similar to the power of the crests would be of great interest."

            "Except that doesn't make any sense either." TK replied.  "From all that Gennai and the others have hinted at, it seems that all kinds of people can use this kind of power, can manipulate it somehow.  Why would he need to research it on his own?"

            "It seems the key here somehow is that he wants something in this world." Gatomon sat up and looked around at all the others.  "After all, that's the only reason I can think of him for being here.  Somehow, this Utopia corporation has to be the key to him getting whatever he's looking for.  So somehow we have to take it down."

            "I must admit, Utopia's procedure has always puzzled me." Adam admitted quietly.  "It always seemed odd that they would spend so much time working on a project like this, which doesn't have much profit at stake.  Nobody is insane enough to try and conquer a world, even with a few super-powered people.  I'm not invincible, and I carry the largest Essence Crystal in existence.  I always figured that they were planning to use some sort of outside support, but you news has made me fear the worst."

            Izzy narrowed his eyes in concentration.  "You're afraid that they're agents of an outside power.  Like one of the forces of darkness.  That they've been taking instructions and have been learning how to harness the power that those otherworld masters command.  That would explain why they have been focused on this project with such intensity.  It also means that they could have some very disturbing connections."

            "Yes." Adam sighed.  "That is exactly what I'm afraid of."

            "So, how do we attack?" Yolei asked after a brief pause.  "What path do we take?"

            "Flatten their headquarters?" Davis asked.

            "No, then they would come after us with everything they've got.  We've got to find out what they want." Ken replied, not making eye contact.

            "Infiltration perhaps." Izzy suggested.

            "Spying?" Mimi made a face.

            "It sounds like a good plan." Kari raised an eyebrow back at Mimi.  "We do need to find out what they're up to."

            "But we can't forget our other responsibilities." Cody responded.  "And that includes patrolling the city against monster attacks."

            "So, we need daily patrols.  And we need to prepare an assault on Utopia itself." Gatomon suggested.  "We need a way to respond fast."

            "I think I can help there." Professor Takenouchi looked nervous, but determined.  "I can get groups of you to join me for a 'special project'.  You can spend that time cruising the city, and keeping an eye on what's happening."

            "And I can assist you there." Mr. Ishida stood up. "As news editor I have access to news stories as soon as they're reported.  Given your enemies's fondness for media coverage, I can safely say that I'll know about that next monster attack within thirty seconds of the moment it starts."

            "So, we can connect ourselves with a communication network, and cover this whole damn city." Tai slammed his fist down.

            "Meanwhile you have to come up with a plan to attack this Utopia place.  Or at least find out what's going on." Gabumon pointed out.

            "Leave that to Izzy, Ken, Yolei and me." Adam stood up.  "We can arrange a computer search, find out as much as we can about Utopia's most recent ventures, see if we can guess their next move from their publicity reports.  We can also come up with some toys to take a look and see what the creeps are doing."

            "We can help with that." Professor Takenouchi stood up firmly.  Jim got up next to him.  "Together we can get the rest of the Ghostbusters to try and figure out some way to keep an eye on these people."

            "And with our digimon we can find a way to launch a frontal attack." Yolei exulted.  "We can scout out the terrain for you."

            "We'll be ready when you are." Tai stood up.  "So, are we doing this, or not?"

            "Right on!" The digimon all yelled.

            "Well, I guess we're all in this together." Jim stood up.

            "Dad, I never knew you would allow us to get away with this." Sora looked at her father in wonderment.

            "Well, I don't think I have a choice." Professor Takenouchi suddenly looked very proud, beaming down at his red haired daughter.  "You kids have the fate of the world in your hands again.  I have to do everything I can to help you, or else none of us are going to make it out of here alive."


	6. Casing the Joint

Disclaimer:  I Don't Own Digimon.  Okay?

Author's Note:  I really do exist!  I'm not just an internet phantom!  I know that it takes a long time to publish an episode, but it takes just about that long to write most of a new one, and to edit the old.  I've found that my skill improves considerably if I leave a long break between the new episodes and the ones I publish.  As a result, I've been holding back on this because I just about shot my bolt getting to the end of the series.  It gets a lot more violent, and begins to drift away from the characters to focus solely on the action for several episodes.  I don't like that, but I've written myself into a corner.  Plus my life has been full of a whole bunch of unpleasant stuff that I never liked to do in the first place.  I really feel indebted to those who have been following this series.  Thanks to all you reviewers out there!  Treat yourself to something special!

            Thanks for bearing with me.  I try my best.

**Episode XXXI**

**Casing the Joint**

_"Do not trust the horse, Trojans! Whatever it is, I fear the Greeks, even though they bring gifts."_ -Virgil, Aeneid, The

            "Let's get it moving." Jim muttered, and the familiar yellow car, with Joe in the front seat, rolled away from a curbside in West Shinjuku, next to the huge Metro Government Building.

            "Right on Jim." Joe was holding the set of communicators that Izzy had rigged up overnight from the communications gear of the Diplomatic Protection Group.  With it he could talk to any of their agents who were currently watching the whole city.  With his rigged D3 he could talk to any digidestined in Tokyo.  "This is Yellowjacket, we're pulling out of West Shinjuku now."

            "I hear you Joe." Izzy's voice crackled back from where he and Adam were working feverishly.  They were assembling everything in their bags of tricks to get them ahead here, and the apartment Adam had was a natural headquarters.  Ken was there, with the scanner, and he was the one keeping an eye on Tokyo.

            "This is TK and Kari.  We're ready to go." Joe nodded again.  The two with the angels could get anywhere fast, so they were sitting with Mr. Ishida in the center of Fuji TV's huge news center, waiting for bulletins to come up.  

            "Bicorn here, so how's it shaking?" That was Noriko, on her bicycle somewhere in Shibuya with another digidestined friend. 

            "Not bad, not bad.  This is Stallion, in Akihabara.  What's the score?" Stallion was a pair of digidestined that Joe did not actually know, but that had their own car.  He smiled inwardly at Davis's insistence that each mobile unit have a codename.

            "This is overwatch three.  Nothing here." Joe frowned just a little at that.  It took him a moment to remember who overwatch three actually was, before he had it.  Two agents from the Korean embassy, having a long, undisturbed lunch on top of a tall building, keeping an eye on the city.

            "Ghostwatch.  Nada.  We'll keep looking." Jim smiled openly at that.  Ghostwatch was the codename that the agents of Helios had developed for those who watched after Professor Takenouchi.

            "Skywatch here.  It's another clear Tokyo day.  Unless you count the three car accident blocking traffic in the middle of the road near the Palace.  It's going to be a messy day for the traffic boys." Skywatch was the pilot and co-pilot of one of Tokyo's police helicopters, currently aloft to seek out monster attacks.

            "Matt here.  Just another boring day here in Roppongi." Matt and Sora were on a long walking date in central Tokyo, with Biyomon flying behind, and Gabumon trying to stay out of sight in a nearby park.

            "Tiger here.  We're stuck in traffic." Davis voice came through the communications equipment, and Joe grinned.

            "Stop complaining Davis." Cody responded, barely being caught in the device.  Cody and his grandfather had decided to drive around anxious Davis.

            "Tai here.  Drive by me and I'll wave." Joe nodded.  Tai and Agumon were hiding in the Shinjuku Gyoen park in Shinjuku, waiting for a chance to back someone up, or respond to any nearby attacks.

            "Mimi here.  There's a few wonderful sales here, but I can't see any signs of angry digimon."  The sounds of a busy Ginza store nearly drowned her out.

            "So what's the plan?" Joe asked.

            "You two loop north and keep an eye on things there.  You can stay out of the areas where we have nonmobile units, but we're still too widely spread to do anything.  Just stand and hope." Izzy sounded a little worried, but Jim wordlessly swung the car around to follow the latest tracks.

            General Samuel Hayes, US Army, Commander of the United States 16th Mechanized Infantry Division, stared at the document in his hand like it was some foreign object.  The orders were clear, and offered no chance of avoidance, but they were confusing as all hell to him.

            "What's up sir?" The officer in charge of the communications tent looked at his CO with an interested expression.

            "We've been ordered to take up a training position outside of New York." Hayes shook his head.  They were fine right where they were.  Why was the Pentagon sending them off to New York?

            "Why the hell are we going there?"

            "Damned if I know." Hayes replied and then stalked off.  He had orders to write, and it would take a lot of effort to move the whole division anywhere.

            "So what do we hit first?" Yolei wanted to know as they began to pour over plans.

            "I vote for Saffron Corp.  They have a building, an office complex, near Ginza." Ken pointed to a spot on the map.

            "How about Utopia Corp Central?  Do they have any good targets?" Izzy asked, still paying more attention to his computer than to the rest of them.

            "Yes they do.  They have a huge office complex in West Shinjuku.  But it's also a very secure office complex.  We know because we've been watching them." Adam looked throroughly disgruntled.  "We can't break into that without a good hammer or two.  They also have a manufacturing plant down in Yokohama, but I don't want to hit that until I absolutely have to."

            "So you think that the Saffron site is the least guarded?" Ken asked.

            "I do, but what we do is up to you."

            "Actually, it's up to you.  Well, you and Izzy that is." Ken smiled at the other genius.

            "Thanks for noticing." Izzy returned sarcastically.  "Okay, calibration's complete.  So now what?"

            "We launch it." Adam picked up an oddly shaped device, a backpack with a long arm protruding from one side and several clamps.  Quickly he clamped it firmly, but not painfully, to Tentomon.  "Now remember, all you have to do is point it at the building.  Try and get as close as possible without being seen."

            "Righto." Tentomon responded.

            "Right, you go this way." Izzy quickly pointed out a path outlined with red on one of Ken's maps.  "You've already seen Ken's picture of the building."

            "I could find it blindfolded." Tentomon saluted, and then threw himself out the nearby window.

            "Okay.  That takes care of one type of surveillance.  Everyone else with me to the van.  We'll take care of stage two."

            "This is Skywatch.  Finished on our Shibuya sweep, coming back to Shinjuku." The helicopters blades could be faintly heard in the background.  "We'll be back in about five minutes."

            "Right Skywatch.  This is car four-two-one.  We're heading south." The police car turned to a different radio frequency as it moved back into its normal patrol vector.

            "Bicorn here.  Harajuku checks out too."

            "False alarm." Cody muttered.

            "No kidding." Davis tried to relax back in his seat, with the side effect of almost sitting on Veemon.  Veemon shot his partner a look, and hastily got out of the way.  "See anything out there Cody?"

            "Nope, nothing, not a thing."  Cody watched as they slid by West Shinjuku again.  The buildings were looking more familiar to him now, but Tokyo was huge, and there just were so many different places to hide.  He stared at a now familiar building, built more like a fortress, with the Utopia logo on one side, and wondered what was happening inside, as Davis began to stare out the other side.

            "So now what?" Yolei wanted to know.

            "We case the joint.  It's what they do in all the criminal movies." Ken replied, slyly taking the measure of the imposing building standing in front of him.  The office building was a large affair, with towers in the corners, and everywhere offices looking out over the city.

            "How do we do that?" Izzy wanted to know.

            "Check out their security schemes.  See if we can spot any weak points, see if there's anything interesting there.  Right Adam?"

            "About right, but I've got my hands full driving." Adam was indeed focused on the road.

            "Well, let's see if these gadgets work." Izzy hit a few buttons on a keypad that was attached to the dashboard by duct tape.

            "They better.  Else we spent the whole night up for nothing." Yolei muttered back.  She was a little tired.

            Three computer screens, appropriated from the Tokyo University and charged to the budget of the Ministry of Justice, flickered to life in the back row of seats in the van.  Wires ran from them to a little hole that Ken had drilled, over Adam's groaning, in the roof of the van.  Above they had mounted a cargo carrier of the kind that was becoming popular in the city for businesses that wanted to use private vehicles as transport.  Inside, however was different.  Using the technical expertise and unlimited coffee of Professor Takenouchi's ghostbusters, Ken and Izzy had managed to get the grad students (who did not seem to need sleep anyway) to construct what was essentially a camouflaged camera carrier.  Inside was a whole sensor cluster ripped off of pylon number four in the examination room.

            "Beginning IR scan." Izzy hit a few buttons.

            "IR scan commencing." Ken responded.

            "Beginning EM scan." Another set of lights went on.

            "Data recording features standing by." Yolei grinned at the two in the front seats, but they did not notice.  She tried to ignore the fact that Ken was sitting so close.

            The screens blinked, and then they blurred as data was fed to the huge databank that they had installed in the trunk of the van, storing data for future examination.  But she did watch one thing.  What had taken Izzy, Adam and the ghostbusters all night to really prepare was a modification of their standard scientific analysis software.  It took the data from the incoming scans and transformed them into a model of the building, one that appeared right before her very eyes.

            "So how illegal is this technology?" Ken wanted to know.

            "Oh, very." Adam replied.  "But only if we have the bad luck to get caught with it active."

            "So obey the traffic laws very carefully." Ken kept watching his displays.

            "Right.  Izzy, prepare to turn off scan one.  Okay, turn it off, circuit one complete, turning off now." Adam turned the vehicle off of his circuit around the Saffron Corporation building, so that any watching guard would not get suspicious of the same van circling again and again.  "We'll be back in about fifteen minutes or so."

            "Good." Ken bent over his keyboard again.  "It will take us about that long to straighten out the data from the scan and see if we can map their office's electronics."

            Yolei sighed at Ken's closeness, and at his distance, and went back to her computer. 

            "Opinions?" Khartan asked in a low rasping voice.

            "Well _Master_," Bane let his voice trail off as he spoke the last word.  "undoubtedly they have met with agents from Helios Ascendant.  They will no doubt be aware of the existence of the Utopia Corporation and their somewhat unorthodox experiments into metaphysical relations."

            "They will take that personally?" Khartan sounded like he was pondering something.  In the darkness, none of his face was visible.

            "Utopia's presence may serve to decoy them from our actual deployments.  Hopefully they will not follow through with all of the hints that have been dropped.  Our security is not the best."

            "We will delay more to secure ourselves.  The brute force approach was chosen to neutralize the threat of Helios and the digidestined as such, but more time will be required." Khartan sounded like he was trying to prove something, and there was a bite in his voice that Bane smiled at internally.

            "Just remember what your superiors will say as the delay builds.  They will not be happy with you at all, will they?"

            It was all Khartan could do to repress the shudder.

            Willis wondered briefly what he was going to do next.  He wondered why he was trying to do this at all.  It was early in the morning, and the Eagle's Aerie had fallen silent, the only sound being the air conditioner working in the background, cooling the computer room against the heated exhaust that the computers were putting out.  Michael, who was living here while his father was doing a movie shoot out in Hollywood, was asleep upstairs, and Lou was here too.  Willis's family had long ago gotten used to his frequent disappearances, and being out early in the morning was not going to give them any problems.  

            But the fact that he was not getting anywhere was beginning to bug him.  He knew that he would not.  He had designed the software, along with Izzy and Ken, and he knew its limits.  It was designed so that he could not hack into it, so that he could do nothing to alter the path of the program once it started, or use its information.  And if he could not, it was doubtful that anyone else could.  Although, with the denizens of the Digital World, it was often hard to tell what they could and could not do.

            Still, his fingers flew over the keyboard as he tapped frantically.  In some part he understood that he was not supposed to be doing this, but he desperately wanted some sort of information on what he had created.

            The IDEF link in the corner of his screen lit up suddenly.  Sonja was on in Moscow, and she looked like she was trying the same thing, but the software was not responding well.

            "Damn." Willis swore with feeling this time, hitting his fist into the ground right beside him.  "I'm good."

            "Now that's strange." Tai muttered into his hand.  Something had just tingled his senses.  For several moments he had been at peace, breathing the air of the fresh growing things in the small park, letting himself feel nothing but the bench and the sun on his face.  Now he was alerted to the presence of something intruding on it.

            "What's strange?" A voice piped up from behind him in the bushes.

            "Nothing...nothing...except perhaps...I don't know, I just have a funny feeling." Tai confessed, leaning back into his bench.

            "A funny feeling about what?" the voice wanted to know.

            "About that big truck that just passed.  It was bearing no logo, and its headed west.  Do we know anything about what's happening in the west?"

            "Let me see." There was the sound of unrolling paper.  "Izzy's list says that there's a promotional sale at one of the shopping centers not to far away from the big office buildings.

            "I say we go check it out." Tai turned to move off as his partner began to rustle through the bushes.

            "This is Tai.  I'm headed west to check something out."

            "I hear you Tai.  We're making our second pass in about five minutes." Izzy reported as Adam swore under his breath at the traffic.  "How about you Davis...I mean Tiger?"

            "This is Tiger.  There's less happening than there is at school on Sunday morning.  When do we get some action?"

            "Probably sooner than either of us wants."

            "There it is." Professor Takenouchi pointed at the graph.

            "All right, that I will plainly admit.  There it is.  But what is it?" Takei, having abandoned the pretense of being nothing besides a normal university driver, stared at the lines on the graph.

            "_That_ is a neutrino burst."

            "A what?"

            Professor Takenouchi sighed and pushed his glasses up on his nose.  "Neutrinos.  They're a type of elementary particle, they pass through matter almost completely, without interacting.  We can pick them up only with specially built detectors.  This chart is from Super-Kamiokande out in the west.  It's probably the largest neutrino detector in the world, and they've picked up a massive surge in neutrino radiation, a huge swell of it actually, at three different points in the past month."

            "How high is huge?" Takei wanted to know.

            "I need to talk with Adam about this.  He's done the high-energy stuff more recently than I have, but it looks like a hundred times normal."

            "Wow." Takei blinked.  "Is that hazardous?"

            "Not really.  Even at those densities they aren't really interacting with anything."

            "Is it natural?"

            "I would have to look it up.  There can be events that would cause a similar upsurge.  A supernova for example, although it would be visible.  A solar flare perhaps.  I really don't know because this isn't my field."

            "So why are you concerned?" Takei knew the Professor well enough to identify his nervousness.

            "Because this was sent to me by Dave Reynolds in America.  He's working at UC Berkeley these days.  He bought into the theory that digimon really are from another world, and it fascinates him.  He tracked similar neutrino surges related to the havoc caused in the original digimon emergences.  According to one of his theories the act of opening a large gate between two parallel universes would require a warping of space-time.  He talks about a lot of side effects, like gravitational waves and other stuff that nobody can understand, but he believes that neutrinos are the only observable effects of this type of manipulation."

            "Someone's been opening gates?" Takei sounded surprised.

            "Either that or trying to.  The theory's not exact.  But I think I want Izzy, Jim and Adam to look over this one."

            "There you go.  Admit it.  Admit it!"

            "TK, you're just silly."

            "I'm not going to let you get away that easily.  Admit it!"

            "TK!"

            "Nuh-uh." TK leaned over close to Kari.  "Say it."

            Kari rolled her eyes.  "All right.  You're the man TK."

            "Yes I am.  That's what, five for me, one for you."

            "Just luck TK." Kari's eyes flashed.

            "I'm allowed to act like Davis due to my superior skill." TK announced.

            Kari giggled.  "Why do I put up with you?"

            "Because you like me?" TK asked, adopting a sad puppy face.

            "I guess that's why." Kari smiled at him.

            The door to the office opened and Mr. Ishida walked in and raised an eyebrow at them.  "What are you two doing?"

            TK pointed down at the monitor screens on the desk.  "We're playing a game.  We're trying to predict where the next news story will take place.  Usually it's just traffic accidents and such, but I managed to predict the backstore fire at the bakery down in Roppongi."

            "You predicted the fire?" Mr. Ishida sounded surprised.

            "No.  I just called southern Roppongi as the next target.  And I won."

            "What did you call Kari?"

            "West Shinjuku." She sounded sulky, but she could not disguise her smile.

            "Well TK, you keep this up, you may have a future in journalism after all.  Fortunately, today is mostly a quiet day."

            At that moments his words were lost in the sudden outbreak of noise in the main office as all hell broke loose.

            People started screaming as the massive figure burst through the wall in the computer section of the huge clearance sale.  A teacher leading her students alongside the outside windows froze in sudden panic.  Salespeople dropped what they were doing.  There was a surge toward the exits.  There was the crash of breaking appliances, the shattering sound of broken glass.  The entire world filled with sound and noise and commotion.

            Bakemon surged through doorways to the outer regions, screaming for blood and death.  Little children started screaming, yelling and crying all at the same time.  A large, burly sales clerk came running out, sweeping children out of the way as fast as he could when a sudden blow from a Bakemon right behind him sent him sprawling.  A police car screamed to a halt outside, but the unarmed police inside could only call for backup.

            The teacher screamed as the first digimon, a huge green figure, covered in metal bands, that looked like Frankenstien's monster, lumbered straight through the glass wall covering the front of the store.  Then she tried to grab a kid standing in front of the storefront, even as she realized that the kid was not in her class.

            "Get ready to be crushed kid." The huge digimon looked down at the kid standing below him.

            "I know what to tell bullies like you." The kid looked back pugnaciously, and then raised his hand to reveal the device within.  "Digivolving time."

            "Agumon...warp digivolve to...WarGreymon."

            "What?" The digimon, Boltmon, staggered back as the Mega exploded out of the street beside Tai.  Then, with only a moment's hesitation he sent a blast of green fire right back at Tai.

            "Tomahawk Knuckle!"

            "WarGreymon!"

            The Mega dropped to one knee in front of Tai, the kids in the street and the police officers watching in wonderment.  His golden shield slid off his back smoothly, and slammed together in front of him, shielding him from the oncoming attack.  Green fire blasted all over the street but the bystanders remained safe behind the glowing shield.

            "Get everyone clear." Tai instructed the police, who were watching the events with an expression of awe on their face.  "Get them to safety now!"

            As one of the officers started to move, the other turned to stare with disbelieving eyes at Tai.  "What about you kid?"

            Tai gave him a tight, confident grin.  "We'll take it from here."

            "Trouble!" Joe let out, but Jim was already reacting.  Fortunately only one irate driver was able to honk his annoyance before the yellow car was screeching in the opposite direction, disappearing rapidly to the south.

            "Gomamon, wake up, we're about to have company."

            "I am awake.  I was just resting my eyes." Gomamon complained, and his orange crest rose from the beneath the chair.

            "Trouble." Adam was already turning the car toward West Shinjuku.

            "How much?" Izzy asked tensely.

            "A lot." Ken reported from the back seat.  "They're calling in everyone.  We've got a big thing going down in West Shinjuku."

            "Tentomon!" Izzy yelled, but the bug digimon was already zooming on his way to West Shinjuku.

            "Can we catch them?" Yolei asked nervously.

            "We better be able to, because Tai's already there."

            "Great." Izzy muttered under his breath.

            "What the hell's going on?" Tokyo Metropolitan Police from the brand new Tactical Response Team were dismounting fast.  Their leader, a relatively tall man named Takaeda was staring at the two police officers already on scene, while trying to get his team assembled as well.  The new Response Teams had screamed their way to the accident site in a little under a minute.  Still, it looked like the outside festivities were already calming down.  Now they were dismounting from their armored vans, and looking totally lost as they surveyed the chaotic scene.  People had mostly managed to escape the building, and were grouping on the opposite side of the street, watching the spectacle in awe.  The police on the scene were not much different, jaws open as they surveyed the situation.

            "That kid there, he had one of those...whaddaya call 'em...digimon.  Anyway he showed up and pulled our bacon out of the fire, but the good guys and the bad guys are still fighting it out inside the building."  The police officer's finger and voice both shook.

            "All right, I guess we'll sort this out later." Takaeda shook his head.

            "There they are!" Somebody screamed.

            The top of the building had exploded, concrete fountaining upward.  Takaeda watched fascinated as a warrior of scarlet and gold shot his way aloft, hurling toward the sky.  Sunlight glinted off of armor like shards of a rainbow.

            "That's the good guy." The shaking officer told him.

            The roof exploded again as Boltmon shot up himself, pulling his huge weapon off his back.  It glowed with inner fire as he propelled himself upward, gathering the energy to strike a fatal blow.

            "Tomahawk Crunch!"

            A ball of gold and crimson fire formed in the sky, glowing like a new sun.  Underneath it Takaeda could see the glowing warrior from before concentrating.  Suddenly he hunched down and hurled the globe like a fastball.

            "Terra Force!"

            The explosion ripped through the city.  Windows shattered under the impact.  Above them the department store began to shake.  A tower used for a series of high priced restaurants began to fold slowly over to one side.

            "Shit." A Tactical officer swore.

            "I don't think we want to get involved in that." Takaeda confirmed.

            "Look.  There go some of them now!" Another officer pointed to a side street where a group of figures that looked like they were wearing white sheets appeared to be making their getaway.  Takaeda swore and began to look for handy men to lead an organized pursuit.

            "Oh no they don't.  Digi-armor energize!"

            "Veemon...armor digivolve to ....Rapidmon!"

            "After them!" A kid wearing a flame colored jacket and riding what looked like a giant blue lizard shot down the street, rapidly eating up the distance between the battleground and the fleeing digimon.

            "Armadillomon...digivolve to....Ankylomon!"

            "Ankylomon...digivolve to...Shakkuomon!"

            "Shakkuomon, catch that building!"

            "Got it." A huge metal giant reached up with awkward looking movements and caught the tower, quickly keeping it from falling down.  The creature was huge, a tower of steel himself, a titan out of legend.  The claws sank into the building almost immediately, and suddenly the tower was stopped, braced by an impossible figure.

            "That's the thing from Odaiba!" Takaeda swore.  "What's going on around here?"

            "Officer!" The first kid that had been pointed out was tugging on his jacket.  "You have to get the people out of there.  There are still evil digimon in there."

            Takaeda shook himself.  Whatever was going on here it could wait until after he had done his duty.  He gestured and Tactical Unit One ran into the burning jaws of hell.

            "I can't see a blasted thing." Somebody muttered, but Tai was not paying them any attention.  He had a whole squad of police troopers behind him now, and he would be damned if he was going to worry about the Bakemon he had seen earlier.  The place looked like a fairly ordinary department store area, and Tai could even see stacks of shirts that were probably to be sold later, but not there was a haze of smoke and darkness hovering over everything.

            "So what now kid?  Any ideas?" The police officer in charge leaned over.  "What's your name anyway?"

            "I'm Tai.  Listen, you have to get the people out of here, and soon.  The bad guys are probably going to try and escape this place anyway they can, but they'll try to go through anything in their way.  So be careful.  They all have supernatural powers."

            "Right, I figured that.  Can you tell us anything specific about them?  My name's Lieutenant Takaeda by the way." Takaeda paused, as the other officers gathered around him.

            "It's simple.  The ones who look like ghosts in white sheets are called Bakemon.  They can attack by extending their arms and grabbing you with those sharp claws.  Thing is, with almost all digimon, they have to yell this thing out before they actually do their attack, so you can avoid it most of the time.  Bakemon would rather run than fight.  I thought I saw a few Thundermon though, and they could be more trouble.  Think of them as giant, floating bowling balls.  Those guys are fast, but they're probably already out of there." Tai looked around.  "Big thing is we have to get the people out of here before the really big guns show up."

            "What does that mean?" A short cop with a bushy mustache asked.

            "More trouble Kiyesu." Another replied.

            "It means that we have reinforcements on the way.  When they show up there could be a real battle here instead of a skirmish.  And we don't want that to happen with people around." Tai responded, and then spoke into his D3.  "Where are you guys?"

            "Davis here.  They're trying to scatter into northern Shinjuku.  I'm running them down, but I really could use some backup here."

            "Skywatch One here, we'll try to give you some air cover here."      

            "Forget that, this is TK and Kari.  We're about a minute out, but we can see Lilymon ahead of us."

            "Okay, the good guys are on their way.  So what's your plan?"

            "Kiyesu, take your team and see if there's anybody to the west.  Ryo, your team gets the northern corridor.  Tai, you and the rest of us will check the center area, and hope everyone's already out.  Team two." Takaeda spoke now into his radio.  "I want a perimeter around this place.  Keep it secure.  Let's move people."

            "Moving chief.  We're so moving here."

            Takaeda sighed as half of his manpower disappeared into two different directions, leaving him, seven cops and a kid who might be seriously deranged, alone in the middle of a screaming building.

            "Look out sir!" Someone yelled, just as something that looked a lot like a floating bowling ball and a white ghost came out of a side corridor.

            "Damn!" Takaeda swore.

            "The ghosts' talons raked the ground where he had been standing as he threw himself aside.  Behind he could hear the clicks as a German made MP5 swung down and opened fire on the two opponents.  His own weapon rose at the same moments, and the streams of fire converged, blasting the Bakemon from existence like he hadn't ever been there.  But the other one was too quick, it flew straight through them, scattering officers aside like bowling pins.  A moment later they all rose again cautiously, one officer nursing a cut on his arm.

            "Where did he go?" Somebody asked.

            There was a buzz, and everyone threw themselves down again as the creature shot through them again, sending them flying.  There were a few gunshots as the police tried to bring him down, but they all missed.

            "Blast." Takaeda swore.

            "Behind you!" Tai pointed.

            Another blast of gunfire cut down a Bakemon who had been prowling toward them, but the Thundermon swept through again and sent them all flying.

            "Thunder Volt!"

            "Down!" Tai threw himself down and everyone else followed his lead as electricity poured by overhead.  Takaeda poked his head back up, saw another Bakemon floating up to them, emptied a handful of bullets into it, and then ducked back down to reload.

            "Right, so how do we fight that?" Takaeda asked.  There was a series of clattering bangs as an officer emptied his MP5's entire magazine, but only succeeded in catching open air.

            "Got you." A huge hand reached through the wall and plucked the digimon out of the air like a ripe plum, dashing him to the floor unconscious.  Then the wall cracked entirely and a huge angel revealed himself, floating right outside the window.  There were gasps of shock from the police, but Tai only smiled.

            "So Angemon, how are things outside?"

            "Almost all the people are out." The angel responded in a deep voice.  "So we're going to get you out of here.  Matt wants to do something because the building's caught on fire.  Just come on out, we have ramps for you."

            "Right, we'll follow you're lead.  Everyone, follow the nice angel." Tai leapt out into the air, and landed on something solid right below the window.  Takaeda gestured and then followed Tai himself, landing on a glowing bridge of pink energy.  Above, glimmering the same shade of pink, another angel, this one definitely female, stood glowing and expanding the bridge herself.  Quickly Team One managed to get out of the building, the last officer thoughtfully tossing a grenade behind him to insure their privacy.

            "Take it away Matt!" Tai yelled as they hit the ground.  Next to the bridge, a giant metal wolf growled, and then rose to his feet, opening his mighty jaws.

            "Ice Wolf Breath!" The blast of Ice froze the entire building into something from the Antarctic, an ancient ruin entombed in ice.  The fire died instantly.

            "Thing's we'll be a bit wet in there for a while, but at least nothing else will catch on fire." A blond haired boy told him, as he jumped onboard the wolf's back, and the two soared effortlessly into the sky to join a huge bird already in the sky.

            "What the hell's going on?" Team Two's chief ran up, gun-totting tactical officers straggling up behind him.

            "I'm hoping some one will get around to telling me that sooner or later." Takaeda responded, looking a bit shell shocked himself.

            "Tomahawk Crunch!" The Tomahawk came closer and closer, but WarGreymon did not move until the last possible instant.  Then he jetted smoothly aside, and Boltmon was left swinging at air.  WarGreymon responded with a blast of energy that threw Boltmon violently backward.

            "This could go on all day." WarGreymon complained, sounding almost bored.  "Give it up already."

            "Not until I defeat you!  Tomahawk Crunch!" Boltmon threw himself up again, energy blade cutting through the air, but WarGreymon used his superior speed to jet aside and watched the energy blade blast harmlessly toward space.

            _"How can you expect two newly digivolved digimon to defeat a more experienced, and, might I add, _superior_ digimon?" _Piedmon's voice, or something akin to it rang in WarGreymon's ears.  He could not remember the words, but he remembered the meaning and now he understood it.  He remembered Tai's voice telling him that the digimon might be growing stronger, and now he understood the meaning of that too.  The first time he had warp digivolved he would have been hard put to even stay in the battle alone for all this time.  Now he was looking at this ferocious Mega attacking him almost as if he was being attacked by an in-training.  

            The other digimon was obviously not used to this kind of energy expenditure, or this level of power.  WarGreymon remembered the feeling.  You felt invincible, unstoppable, like you could do anything you thought about.  Every movement left you surging with energy, glowing with inner fire.  Now, more experienced, he understood that even a warrior like him had limits.  Below Boltmon was a source of tremendous power, but WarGreymon's greater training and familiarity with his skills would normally have overshadowed power.  Now WarGreymon was only using the slightest of efforts to escape the pounding attacks of Boltmon.  Boltmon was drawing upon the power that kept him going, his essence as a Mega to launch attack after attack, draining him almost as fast as anything WarGreymon could have done.  And WarGreymon was barely expending any energy rendering everything Boltmon did as useless.  This was simply too easy.

            At the same time he kept himself aware.  It had been too easy for Piedmon now, but Piedmon simply was not around anymore.  That made an important object lesson.  Never underestimate your foe.  Ever.  WarGreymon kept this in mind, waiting for Boltmon to spend so much of his power that he would be easy pickings.

             He sensed a change in the flow of battle and reacted defensively, widening the gap between him and his opponent suddenly to give himself more room.

            "Ice Wolf Spikes!"  Missiles blasted almost out of nowhere, surrounding Boltmon in a cage of blue ice, leaving him imprisoned, unable to move.  Only his eyes could communicate the horror he was feeling now.

            "Finish it!" Matt yelled from his position on the back of MetalGarurumon.

            "Mega Claw!" The claws of glowing energy stopped just short of a kill.  Boltmon glowed in agony and then shattered, returning the digimon inside to a small rookie WarGreymon could not identify.

            "I have a message for your master.  Tell him that we're stronger now than we ever were, and that we have it in for him.  Tell him that we're coming for him." WarGreymon let his eyes glow menacingly as he stared down the small rookie, but the rookie suddenly seemed to be taken by a greater terror than WarGreymon had caused.

            The tiny digimon screamed once, and then shattered into digital data as the disbelieving megas looked on.

            The Bakemon flew as fast as he could, desperately trying to outrace the pursuit that had already claimed so many of his fellows.  He could not hear if they were still behind him, but with the stakes being as they were, he refused to take chances.  People screamed and dived out of his way, pointing disbelievingly, but the ghost refused to be distracted.  There was an area ahead with lots of multi-storied buildings.  Perhaps he could get lost inside the maze of buildings to escape pursuit.

            New screams erupted some distance behind him.  He was sure it was his pursuit, but he was so close...so close...

            A yellow car screeched to a halt in front of him.  Two people got out, one a human, the other a digimon.

            "Gomamon...digivolves to...Ikkakumon!"

            "Stop now while you still can." The huge champion roared at him.

            "But I can't." The ghost stammered.  "I failed him...do you understand?  I failed my master...my master...master, no!" And then he too exploded in a shower of data.

            "So it looks like your friends and you did it." Lieutenant Takaeda checked over the list of injuries to his officers.  Only three, and none would even require hospital time.  "So, Tai, what happens now?"

            Tai looked profoundly embarrassed.  "Well, you see, er...I doubt my parents will approve of my playing superhero, they'll probably...er..."

            "Ground you until next millennia.  Yeah, parents can be like that sometimes.  I take it you don't want me to be public with your name or something.  Because we could include it in the news, but they would just come besiege your house with reporters until you finally got fed up and blew up on them.  And then that would be all over the papers."

            "Yeah, I would appreciate it if you could happen to forget." Tai muttered, grinning awkwardly.

            "Sure thing.  I would hate to have to explain half of what's going on here.  Just do me a favor.  Here's my card.  It has my office number on it, and my home phone.  Find some way for us to get in contact with you in case of an emergency.  Looks like we need the help of you and your pals more than ever." Takaeda handed over his card.

            "Well, maybe you can do us a favor." Tai suggested awkwardly.

            "Like what?" Takaeda raised an eyebrow.

            "How would you like to be the digidestined police liaison?"

            "... But swift action by a talented group of children partnered with tame digimon, children who call themselves digidestined, managed to thwart the attack.  Yes, you did hear correctly, children all over Tokyo who have received digimon as partners in recent events were able to use their new allies to save hundreds of civilian lives, and bring one attack to a satisfactory close.  Police and government officials both now claim that having a digimon may not be a public health risk as originally thought.  In fact, one police officer who declined to state his name was quoted as saying 'Those things you call monsters just saved my lives and a whole bunch of other lives at the risk of their own.  If they were human, we'd call 'em heroes, and that's where they are in my book.  Even if there are others causing all this terror, you know the saying, fight fire with fire.'  And it looks like this may be just how the police are planning to fight these attacks.  Highly placed officers have requested that any child currently partnered with a digimon, who feels that they are up to the difficult task of helping save our city and our world, that those children contact the police immediately using the following number..."

            The dark figure switched off the television. 

            "Plans go awry Lord Khartan." He spoke finally into the air.  "This could prevent us from forcing the digidestined underground."

            "That is no matter." Another voice rumbled back.  "In fact, it may provide a distraction for us.  We must continue with the original plan.  However I would be greatly pleased if those Japanese digidestined responsible for all this were to perish."

            "That fool Adam has taken them under Helios' protection.  It will be harder without resorting to means that could be traced back to us, and to our purpose."

            "Adam is many things, but not, I think, a fool.  Still, he has a match somewhere.  Find Thanatos for me."

            "At once my Lord."


	7. Cloak and Dagger

Disclaimer: I don't (do not) own Digimon or any of its related products.  
  


**Episode XXXII  
Cloak and Dagger  
**   
_Nothing like a little theft to get the blood running.  
_Gennai, Raid on Trugore.  
  


A self-destruct device. Izzy stated flatly, looking around at the other gathered digidestined.  
Inside a digimon? Gatomon sounded so repulsed that she actually shuddered.  
Buried inside the coding. Izzy confirmed. You see, we've been examining the leftover data from digimon that have lost pieces of themselves all over the world. And the stuff we've been getting has some sort of control virus in it. I didn't realize what it was until Professor Takenouchi and I examined the records from the battle last night. Now I know what it is. A self-destruct device, to prevent us from ever getting our hands on one of his digimon.  
Ken mused, his chin in his hand.  
But it does lead to a puzzling question. Joe pointed out suddenly from the corner.  
Yes it does. Izzy frowned again. What is Khartan trying to hide?  
  
The tide began with a single phone call, which Lieutenant Takaeda, Tokyo Metropolitan Police, Tactical Unit One, picked up in his new office in West Shinjuku.  
Lieutenant Takaeda, Tactical Unit One here.  
The voice on the other end was quiet and stumbling. It sounded like a kid, a boy trying to act like a man. I'm calling b-because I saw that thing on the news, and I h-h-have a digimon, and my parents say that if things aren't too d-dangerous that I can help.  
Takaeda broke out into a wide smile. Of course you can help. And we'd be glad to have you helping us out. And tell your parents not to worry, we'll keep you out of harm's way any way possible. Give us your name and address, and I'll send some friends of mine out to tell you what you're getting into.  
All right... the voice on the other end began to gain confidence.  
By noon half-a-dozen calls had come in. The children who called, who volunteered were being lauded as heroes in the media, children willing to forgo playtime, to help save a city. Their names were being kept secret for now, but a half dozen police patrols went out that morning with a child and a digimon in the back seat. By the time Takaeda came back from his lunch break there were a dozen more calls waiting for him, and a street-wise teenager standing outside his office with a Betamon next to her, pugnaciously demanding the opportunity to help.  
All over the world, the forces of Light began to gather.  
  
So, operation Cloak and Dagger. Izzy flashed his laser pointer at the huge computer screen on Adam's wall. The screen displayed a mutli-layer diagram of the Saffron Corporation office building in Ginza. Electronic systems were outlined in different colors, and different rooms were color coded to indicate their function. The building was built like a rectangular eight on a digital clock, four stories tall, with six story towers at each vertex. There was also an eight story tower in the middle of the complex. In the two courtyards were a helicopter pad, and a cafeteria and garden. The perimeter was guarded by a simple chain-link fence, but Izzy's analysis had revealed that there were several objects that looked suspiciously like security cameras and sensors surrounding the outer grounds. The basement housed two different levels, one a parking garage, and the other covered in concrete.  
So where's the target? Davis asked, lounging against a wall.  
The center tower. The laser pointer turned to illuminate the center structure.  
Veemon wanted to know.  
Because it stands out. Adam replied from the corner. The architecture is all wrong.  
Tai muttered.  
It's built wrong. Izzy continued, pointing things out on the diagram. The center tower is eight stories tall, connected to a four story building. It has executive offices on the top four floors, and a security station on the fourth floor where it connects to the rest of the building. But the bottom was actually pretty heavily shielded.  
So what? Matt wanted to know. Sora elbowed him gently in the ribs, and rolled her eyes when he pretended to have been seriously injured.  
If you walk into the center tower from the fourth floor you have to choices. On your right is a set of offices and an elevator. On your left there is the security center, one sealed control room, one duty room, and a protected lobby. Inside the lobby is another elevator. But the elevator on your right only goes up, connecting the top of the building together. The only way to get into the bottom three floors is through the elevator in the security center. The base of the tower is completely independent of the building it's next to. And the windows look funny. Especially when we scan them from the air.  
I've seen the material before. Adam told them. It's the same stuff they use on the Popemobile. But this time they reinforced it pretty heavily. I don't have a good way of breaking through that.  
Well that's funny. Sora confirmed. But why do they put it on the bottom instead of the top of the tower?  
Because the top is more interesting. They really don't want their average employees poking around that, so they hide it pretty well in the bottom of the tower to keep others from finding it. That way it's almost completely safe from discovery, and nobody bothers to talk about it. Ken nodded at the diagram grimly.  
So what do we do about that? Patamon sat up on TK's head, pushing his unfortunate partner's hat down over his eyes.  
We break in. Izzy smiled at them.  
How do we do that? Mimi sat up straighter.  
That's your job to plan. Here's their security. Izzy pointed back at the diagram. There are five main entrances to the building, one on each side, and one in the parking garage. The garage has, as far as we can tell, what looks like two different stairwells for maintenance, or emergencies, or something, and then a central elevator and stairwell to the main lobby. Each central door has a security desk that seems to manned twenty-four hours a day by a uniformed guard. There is a pair of guards all day long at the station at the entrance to the parking garage, and there is a pair that man the lobby constantly too.  
How good are they? Yolei asked thoughtfully.  
They look professional to me. Adam rumbled.  
That's affirmative. I checked all the security services I could through the police with that man, Lieutenant Takaeda's assistance, but all we could find was that nobody in the civilian district had hired out to Saffron Corporation. So these are guards hired by Utopia itself, and given their demeanor, and the reputation of Utopia, they might be armed as well. Izzy nodded grimly at them. They also have a security station on each floor, on the northwest tower for the first floor, the southeast for the second, the northeast for the third and the southwest for the fourth. They seem to have five guards in them at all time at least. The central station in the central tower seems to have about ten people at all times. To add to that they have five patrols of two guards each throughout the building at any given moment. Add some we probably missed and we're talking forty guards constantly throughout the night. And that doesn't include what they have hidden away that we don't know about. And that's a lot of security.  
I agree. These guys are paranoid. Gatomon sat up a little straighter.  
And that means that they're afraid of us finding something in there. TK narrowed his eyes at the diagram. Okay, so, since I assume we don't want them to ever know that we were there, we can rule out the main entrances. The windows are probably alarmed, so we can't get through there. Is there any sort of open-air ventilation for the parking garage?  
Izzy smiled broadly. That's just the target I was going to suggest. There is indeed a way to get into the parking garage. They have several open slits to allow exhaust out, but they turn out to be wide enough for us to get through. From there we can use the maintenance staircases to get inside. From then on we'll have to wing it, because I don't have a good way to get into the central area, except going through the main security lobby.  
So who's going? TK asked. All of us together would make too much noise.  
I assume that they have an interest in following me, so I'm going out hunting down near Yokohama, and I'll be just clumsy enough so that their agents can find me. Adam reported.  
So how many are going? TK pressed.  
Five or six with their digimon at the most. Tai spoke up, the old light of command was back in his voice. And not me, and not Matt, and not Davis.  
Why not? Davis protested as Matt jerked up as well.  
Because the team that goes in is going to be under a lot of stress. Tai was obviously miles away. I have the bad habit of reacting to stress by charging off, and so do you. Matt has the bad habit of trying to go lone wolf, so that excludes him. Not Yolei and not Mimi either, I hate to say it, but the truth is that you tend to get loud when you're stressed, and you don't move quite as silently as some of the others.  
Not me. Izzy stated firmly. I'm staying here to monitor things, and to help with a remote computer hack. I am the computer expert after all.  
So that already gives us six. TK pointed out.  
Not Kari. Tai interrupted, suddenly sounding more like an older brother than a fearless leader.  
If TK's going, I'm going. You can't protect me forever older brother. Kari stood up fiercely, causing even TK to flinch back in surprise.  
For a moment Tai looked like he was going to yell, and then he merely glowered and rumbled out. We'll talk about this when we get home, but you can go tonight.  
Kari looked a little nervous, but still attempted to be supremely confident as she sat back down.  
Izzy was clearly trying to restore some order. We go in a group of six. Ken has practice moving quietly and invisibly, so does TK now. Sora keeps a calm head in the face of danger, and Kari has powers and skills that would be invaluable to us. Cody and Joe give us the manpower to deal with unexpected surprises, and they also have skills, Joe knows how offices are laid out, and from his time volunteering at the local hospital, he should have a pretty good idea how the filing systems work, while Cody can add his own martial arts skills.  
TK suddenly laughed.   
What's so funny? Izzy asked.  
I just remember a time when we would have forgotten Joe first. I just realized, I haven't seen Joe stumble into something, or fumble something in quite a while. It just seemed so much a part of you Joe that I didn't even realize when it disappeared. And if we had done this before Davis would howl about being left out of the action, and Yolei would be doing approximately the same thing. Mimi would be offended, Matt would be in a huff, and Tai would have been pulling his hair out. I would have been a wild card, Kari would have been uncertain, Cody distant, Ken depressed and Sora nervous. We've just changed so much, and yet it's not like we're different people. It's like we've gotten rid of the parts of us that aren't us, that we've become more like ourselves.  
That's right bro. Matt patted TK on the back, and TK swore that for a moment he saw some moisture in his brother's eye.  
So let's do it. We meet here at seven. Izzy slammed his laser pointer down with decisiveness.  
  
Hey Doofus! Davis winced as Jun skipped into his room and grabbed onto his spiky hair. What're you up to?  
Gerrofff me! Davis huffed and managed to wiggle out from beneath his sister's grappling hold. You'll mess up the hair.  
It doesn't need the help. Jun eyed her brother's hair critically.  
Hey! Lay off it!  
Besides, you didn't answer my question. I know that look. My idiot of a younger brother is off to get himself into trouble. What is it that timefinally managed to get that girl to go out with you? Trying to put the moves on somebody? Should I tell Mom you're lovesick and need advice.  
Davis complained, finally managing to shove his sister back. For your information, I'm just going out to have a nice day with my friends. Now lay off!  
Take care of yourself then Doofus. Jun skipped out of his room again.  
I do my best. Davis sighed, rolling his eyes.  
  
So that's about the size of it. Mr. Hida sat on the bench, staring at his vacuum sealed package of prune juice. Nobody really knows anything, and everybody who does know something isn't saying a word. But the Yakuza are suddenly experiencing a manpower shortage. Someone is absorbing all the extra thugs that they normally depend on for help with odd jobs.  
Maybe a takeover? Hideo Ishiguro had seated himself on the opposite side of the bench, facing a decorative fountain. The two of them were almost alone in the green expanse of the park. I heard rumors that the Osaka syndicates were beginning to move out of their home territory.  
That rumor has been confirmed. Mr. Hida took a sip of his juice. But they're moving away from Tokyo. In fact, everyone big has been moving away from Tokyo. The old men, the ones who really run things, they're looking a lot more worried these days than usual.  
So someone's scaring away the Yakuza.   
Either that, or they're just trying to get a lot of people, and get them fast. That could be one reason to eliminate the presence of the Yakuza. That would free up the kind of lowlife that the opposition depends on.  
Master Ishiguro stared at the fountain again. Well, try and keep our home network here intact. I get a feeling that those recent disappearances may not stop.  
I'll do my best. Cody's Grandfather stood up and walked away, leaving Hideo Ishiguro to muse on the best way to deal with this latest problem.  
  
Kari, come in here. Tai spoke quietly, but Kari could hear him as she bustled around holding her math book. Tentatively, scared of her brother's legendary temper, she entered the bedroom they shared, and closed the door behind her. Tai was sitting on the bed, his face obscured by the shadow of his hair as the sunlight died behind him.  
Sir down. He patted the bed next to him. She sat slowly.  
I just want you to know something. I know that our parents haven't been that close to us. I know they love us very much, but they just aren't good communicators, just like me. I think you've been sister and friend to me so long, that I've forgotten that you are your own person. I guess in the digital world I've always thought of myself as the only parent you had, as the one who had to protect and shelter you from the harshness of reality. I always thought that this would be my job.  
I know you think you've grown up. I was your age too once, you know, and not that long ago. I also know that you have a long way to go before you become the woman you will be, and that's quite a big step.  
I want you to know this. I understand how you feel, and that you want to put yourself in danger for the sake of others. You're young though, impulsive, not quite stable, not quite comfortable with who and what you have become. You're still naive, and sometimes your mercy is misplaced. Sometimes you're too gentle, and like the gentle flower you have to be protected.  
I want you to know. There is no way I could be more proud of what you've become than I am now. I know that I'm not mom or dad, but I have had a great deal of influence in your life, and now I know what they must feel like. You've become a person who is not only gentle and compassionate, but brave and full of righteousness. You know yourself, and you know what you have to do. You're certain, and you've made good choices, choices I might not have made, but good choices nonetheless. You're smart and courageous, and the best person I know, and that's saying a lot.   
I guess I never wanted to deal with the fact that my sister Kari was grown up. I wish that I had earlier, but this latest journey showed me that. The world I thought was a fairy tale come true turned out to be false. I wasn't the only hero, there were many of us. I didn't get the princess, my job wasn't to save the damsel in distress. I think that this taught me more than I ever realized. I want you to know that I understand that you've grown up, even if I may not want to face up to it. I want you to also know that you are a great person, and that I am proud of you, of what you've done, of what you've built, and what you will build. I'm proud of you for finding Takeru, and proud of the way you've dealt with that at such a young age.  
I'm proud of you little Hikari. Take care of yourself out there. And know that I'll love you, no matter what you do, always.  
Kari held her brother tight as he began to cry.  
  
The white-coated scientist swore as he stared at the images. No matter what they changed at the clean room, they got the same anomalous signal.  
Well, somebody better get a call through to Professor Takenouchi in Tokyo. His companion noted. That damn neutrino burst is showing up again. Someone out there is literally tying knots in the space-time continuum.  
  
TK wrapped the last band of black cloth around his head, fully hiding the shock of blond hair in concealing darkness. Beside him Ken was concealing the last of his skin. Cody was already good to go, his sword from Citadel sheathed next to him. TK had considered taking his staff, but he was too bulky already.  
I'm really sorry Gomamon. Joe was explaining off to the side.  
That's all right, I understand. Gomamon nodded at his partner. Joe had figured that while his companion was acrobatic in the water, he might not fare so well on the land, and so should probably stay away from the mission. Gomamon understood perfectly well. Armadillomon had too, his claws made loud clicks when he walked, noises they could not afford to make.  
You ready Kari? Sora could be heard in the next room.   
Yep. How about you Gatomon?  
I still like being a white cat more than a black one.  
At least you get to go. Biyomon responded. I have to spend my time flying around.  
You guys ready yet? Adam called from outside.  
As ready as we're going to get. Ken reported, and Sora echoed him.  
All right. Tai came in. Remember, if you need help we'll be waiting on the other side of the street. Good luck you guys.  
Thanks Tai. Everybody to car number one. TK nodded at them.  
Jim was sitting in the drivers' seat of the Ishida van, as Mr. Ishida was currently back at the news station. He had said that he really did not want to know what was happening here, but he had agreed to let them use the van. Quickly the infiltration team piled into the van while Tai, Matt, Mimi and Davis jumped into Mr. Hida's car, which was sitting right next to them. TK noted that Jim appeared to be sweating a bit as the van eased out of the parking lot, but he just smiled reassuringly at the driver.  
So where do I drop you off? Jim asked, his voice hardly shaking.  
You drove by earlier? Ken asked. Jim nodded in response. All right, in the southeast corner. They planted a tree too close to the roadway. We ought to be able to sneak in without anyone being any the wiser for it. We'll have to do it fast, so seat belts off as we get in sight of the building.  
Jim let the car guide smoothly out of the parking lot. His hands clenched the wheel until his knuckles were white.  
Let's not get caught. Joe murmured from the back seat.  
That's my line bro. Jim responded. I'm supposed to be persuading you and your suicidal companions that felonies are for bad guys.  
Well, there's a first time for anything. Ken seemed more animated now. TK smiled, Ken would have to be the leader in this, and he was trying to instill confidence in his troops. Kari was growing increasingly pale, but she and Sora sat calm and still, waiting for the future with wide, unblinking eyes.  
Jim turned the car around a corner and nodded once, keeping his calm. All right, we're within sight.  
We're right behind you. Tai's voice crackled over the communications gear that Ken had brought. Head in nice and easy now.  
Right. Seat belts off!  
There was a click as everyone unbuckled their belts. Slowly, ever so slowly the darkened grove of trees at the street corner crept between them and the building until...  
Right. Everybody out.  
The van door slid silently open and Ken and Cody, TK, Kari and Sora slid out of the van one after another, as fast as they could. Joe jumped out of the front seat, making sure to close the door quietly. Jim tried his best to look as if he was just reading directions, but watched anxiously as the digidestined strike team faded into the darkness of the trees before starting the van and driving off.  
  
First task, the fence. Sora? Ken was a shadow in the darkness, and his words came extremely quietly, but Sora still heard. She silently unsheathed the inscribed stick she had been given, and a moment later it was tall enough for them to use to get up to the top of the fence and jump down the other side.  
Now the security systems. Ken murmured, and brought out the Scanner from his backpack.  
How do we do that? TK whispered back.  
We hope this works. Ken hit a set of buttons, and the air around them seemed to shimmer briefly.  
What's that? Kari hissed.  
It's Izzy's variant on the original digital barrier program. It doesn't make us invisible, but it masks our presence from computer and electronic equipment. That means that we can get through these systems, but it won't be much help if we get discovered. Ken packed up the Scanner again with practiced movements.  
Where do we go from here? TK asked.  
Right there. Ken unpacked another device, this one a hand-held GPS system. We have this accurate down to a tenth of a meter, and we already programmed our route in. Let's go.  
TK shrugged and followed Ken as he made his way through the grounds, homing in on a certain location. Everyone else followed, but they were all now nervous, jumping at the slightest sound. There was nobody else out here, but that did not make them calmer. Rather it increased their nervousness as they searched for imaginary enemies. Fortunately they did not run into any real opponents before Ken had guided them carefully to a rectangular hole in the concrete base of the building, spilling over orange sodium light into the world.  
Ken whispered again, and they used Sora's expanding staff to make their way down to the bottom of the parking garage. It looked perfectly normal, filled with columns and empty spaces, oil stains on concrete, and glaring orange lights. There was nobody in sight, but around the corner nearest to the exit they thought they could catch the faint strains of radio music playing.  
The security guards are over there, but what we want to do is make for the maintenance door to our left. He pointed again, and they all nodded and followed him. Creeping silently six humans and three digimon managed to creep over to the door, feeling horribly naked in this place, where the light glared down on them from above, and the white background provided no cover. The door itself was a heavy metal structure, looking impervious to their approach. Kari had to swallow a brief start of panic at the thought of being trapped before this imposing feature, waiting for the inevitable discovery.  
How do we get in here? Cody asked. Do you have another device for this?  
Ken muttered. But it's certainly locked.  
So how do we get in? Joe snapped, fear heightening the tension already running rampant in the little group.  
TK, Sora, Matt told me all about the incident with the guitar. Ken looked at the two suddenly blushing figures with sharp eyes.  
Well...we could give it a try I suppose. Sora recovered her composure first, but TK was still trying to wilt away from Kari's gaze. So, at least there's something the genius can't do. C'mon TK, I need your help with this.  
Right away. TK seemed glad to be out of immediate scrutiny.  
Ken pulled a black plastic kit out of one pocket and handed it to TK who quickly opened it and nodded in satisfaction. He pulled out what looked from a distance like a bent bar, and a long thing needle and handed them to Sora. Then the two of them crouched close to the door, Sora poking and prodding while TK held onto something and whispered in her ear. After a few nervous moments there was a _thunk_ and TK shook his head.  
It's a safety lock. It could take us a few moments. TK turned back when a sudden sound made them start.  
It was unmistakable. The sound of a car engine had just grown louder, and then there was the sudden thump as tires drove up pavements. Someone was turning into the parking garage.  
We don't have a few moments. Ken told them unnecessarily, but neither TK nor Sora were paying attention to him anymore. They were working with a furious concentration. There were the faint sounds of Japanese being spoken above, and then the car revved up again from where it must have stopped before the security booth.  
Then there was a click. TK yanked the door open, and it creaked its way open until they could see the stairway behind it.   
Ken hissed unnecessarily, and they dived through the door. Ken was last, and the last thing he saw as the door closed behind him was a pair of headlights sweeping the garage.  
  
We're in. The voice spoke tensely into the communications net. Tai breathed a little easier.  
How was it? Izzy's voice crackled back.  
Let's just say that I don't want to talk about it. Ken's voice crackled back.  
Brother, I'm going to kill you. TK's voice crackled through the channels.  
You just try it. Matt grinned back.  
  
Sora was advancing at Ken with a menacing light in her eyes. How did you get my lockpick kit?  
Uh, well, Matt gave it to me. Ken looked rather embarrassed by something. Sora immediately turned a furious scarlet.  
Why that, that... she let out a deep breath. Oh, he's in so much trouble.  
Kari asked innocently. And what does TK have to do with this?  
Oh, well I took up lockpicking sort of as something that might be fun to learn a long time ago, but I got bored. It wasn't until last year that I actually used it. Matt was getting insufferable with all that fame from his rock group, and TK and I decided to have a little vengeance. We practiced on every lock we could find, and then we just started stealing all the stuff that belonged to Matt's band. We didn't do much with it except for move it around, but it frustrated Matt to no end. The deal was that one of us would distract him and then the other would go, unlock his guitar case, or his storage room or anything else they found interesting, steal what was inside of it, and put it in another storage room. Or in his Dad's car. Or somewhere where he wouldn't discover it missing until the next practice. We left little notes on them saying 'From your greatest fans'. It drove him crazy for about a month before we 'fessed up. I honestly had forgotten about that.  
That doesn't sound too bad. Why are you so angry? Kari asked.  
Because...because...when I stopped that I hid the lockpick kit.  
Kari's eyes got wide.  
Sora stammered something.  
TK put a hand to his ear.  
Sora turned even redder. And then, visibly gathering control over herself, she said very plainly. In my underwear drawer.  
Everyone else slapped a hand over their mouths to keep their laughter from waking the whole building.   
  
So this is what a broom closet looks like on the inside. Fascinating. Joe's tone of voice was dry and sarcastic. Ken grinned inwardly, knowing that part of his plan had succeeded. The laugh they had shared at the bottom of the stairway had released the tension, let it run out. They were focused again, and ready to go.  
So, is it safe? Gatomon whispered.  
Ken took another of Izzy's scavenged gadgets out of the bag he was carrying, placed one end on the door, and the other to his ear. After a few moments he shrugged.  
I don't hear anyone. Ken reported. How about you Patamon? You're the one with the ears.  
Nope. Not a thing. Patamon responded, raising his ears like an aerial antenna.  
Well then, we just hope. Ken let the doorknob click open, and the door slid silently outward.   
Gatomon peered around the corner in both directions, and then whispered. All clear.  
Ken sighed and stepped out into the corridor. They were standing in an office corridor lined with doors and potted plants. Each door had a so they could see that the lights were off in each office. Down to the south they could see a more ornate room, brightly lit, and in the other direction there was a corner.  
TK, you and Gatomon come with me. We'll go down and take a look and see how the land lies. Sora, you take the others and stay here. Gatomon, you have point.  
Ken and TK inched behind the black-painted cat as they moved southward, toward the larger, lit room. Fortunately they could stay hidden behind the tall plants that were decorating the hallway, darting from one safe spot to the next. Slowly, the source of the light crept closer and closer, moving steadily toward them.  
Suddenly they could hear the unmistakable sounds of conversation, muted by the walls, but carrying enough so that Ken could identify three different voices. He motioned quickly to TK, and then crept closer and closer on his own, finally poking the top of his head around the corner.  
Five blue-uniformed security guards stood around the front reception desk, talking together about sports. They did not look too attentive, but the lobby was large and would be hard to sneak through under the best of circumstances. Now it was nearly impossible. Ken sank back with a sigh. If ever he needed inspiration it was now. And then, just like that, inspiration hit.  
  
They want us to what?!? Matt howled. Tai stuck a finger in his ear to clear it.  
I think you heard them. Mimi giggled. Davis looked furious.  
Mimi asked.  
I guess so. Joe's brother muttered darkly. Do you want to join in?  
Of course. Mimi dazzled them all with her smile. I wouldn't want to miss this for the world.  
Will we be close enough to the door for them to hear? Tai wondered suddenly.  
We'll just have to be real loud. Mimi grinned. Everyone else groaned.  
  
So how do we get past the guards? Sora asked quietly.  
Ken was grinning. Just wait. I've provided a distraction.  
Suddenly there was a horrendous caterwauling. Peering out into the lobby Ken could just get a glimpse through the door of five figures, four in pants and one in a pink dress, weaving drunkenly through the street outside. They were carrying a radio, and trying to sing along, but obviously failing. Then one, a blond turned to his brown haired companion.  
Yer flat. He slurred drunkenly. Messin' us up.  
I ain't flat. Yer, yer, yer...flatter. Yeah, that's it.  
The blonde made a swing but the other one backed up, tripping over the one with the flame jacket. Within moments there was a drunken brawl taking place outside of the compound, and the guards were fixed on it, cheering one on, laughing at another, and generally enjoying the spectacle. They never even noticed nine figures dart by, diving into the east-west corridor that connected the middle of the building.  
We're safe. Ken grinned, as the semi-drunken choir staggered off into Ginza proper.   
Where's our target? Sora asked, looking up and down the corridor they were in now.  
Through this wall. Ken tapped on the wall next to him, and frowned. Unfortunately I don't see a good way of getting in from here. We're going to have to find a new way. That's the problem with this way. I'm not sure what to do.  
Think of something. TK suggested. We can't stay undetected in this building forever. There's got to be a weak point somewhere.  
Um, guys...I know it's a bit of a long shot, but I want to try something. Kari raised her hand as if she was in class, drawing their attention immediately.  
Ken looked surprised, but TK suddenly smiled.  
TK once said I had lots of powers too. Do you think I might be able to use them to find another entrance to this place?  
Well, I... Ken began  
Yes. Of course. TK laid both hands on Kari's shoulders. Kari, I can't do it because my powers are geared toward fighting evil, but yours are slightly different, more passive, broader, stronger. You can do it. I have faith in you, but you have to find faith in yourself.  
Kari nodded silently, and then let her eyes close. She searched inward, and suddenly, was gone.  
  
Where am I? She asked. The glorious city, emblazoned in silver and pearl white glimmered in what seemed like sunlight, but it was sunlight coming from everywhere. There was enough diamond and glass nearby to give her the expression that she was standing in the middle of a rainbow, letting the colors run over her.  
The Silver City. A woman's voice responded, but when Kari turned, there was no woman there. Only a glorious figure, with white wings. Kari could see no body, only a nimbus of light that glowed like the sun itself. The city of angels we call it sometimes. You have come as the Guide, and as such, you have reached the Gate of Dawn.  
The Gate of Dawn? Kari gasped, and suddenly there it was, a huge golden gate, straight vertical bars glimmering so brightly that she involuntarily shielded her eyes.  
Takeru is a Paladin, a warrior of good, and as such it is his right to enter through the Gate of Stars, through the country that is wild and free, but you are a Guide of Light, and you enter through the Dawn Gate, in the Silver City. Tell us Hikari Kamiya, for what purpose do you seek the power of the Heart of the World? The angelic figure paused.  
I seek it to help my friends. We must find some information that is important to us. For some reason it sounded foolish saying anything to this glorious guide form heaven, but the woman smiled inside the light where Kari could not see.  
A noble request. Such as the one you made the last time you were here Hikari.  
The last time? Kari asked questioningly.  
Of course. And such a precious little girl you were. All you wanted was to free those Numemon. We had to help you then, but now we simply unlock what is inside.  
Do I go through the gate? Kari glanced back in the direction of the gate, but shied away before the light could burn her eyes.  
No, you aren't ready for that. The woman smiled again.  
Kari shook with relief and then caught sight of a figure, imprisoned in a glowing crystal, calmly awaiting his fate.  
Who is that? She pointed.  
That too shall be revealed one day. Now return home.  
And Kari went home, carrying every step of the way a little piece of heaven.  
  
Ken reached out to shake her, but TK caught his hand, an intent look on his face. When Ken met his eyes, TK shook his head seriously.  
I'm back. Kari stood up. Her eyes opened, and suddenly TK remembered the last time he had seen this, under MachineDramon's city. The ivory ring still on her finger gleamed like fire, and she simply began to walk.  
What do we do? Ken asked suddenly.  
TK shrugged. We follow her of course. This rush of power won't last very long, but it could be very useful.  
Kari walked along the corridor until she found a doorway leading to the outside courtyard, in the opposite direction of the tower. Opening it silently she stepped outside and stared wordlessly upwards. A window on the second floor swung open. Ken and Cody both felt their mouths drop open in shock.  
It was more of a command then a request, and Sora found herself unpacking her stick and using it to get them through the second floor window before she could consciously think about it. Within moments they were standing inside of an enclosed room. Kari, without a second thought, opened the door, crossing a new darkened hallway and stopping in front of a piece of wall that looked utterly unremarkable. For a few moments she stared at the wall and then spoke very firmly and formally.  
I am Hikari Kamiya, a Guide come from the Gate of Dawn, to wake the Slumbering Dragon. I bear within me the power of the Silver City. What right or power do you have that can bar my passage?  
Suddenly there was a series of clicks and the piece of wall swung outward, revealing a high tech computer lab inside, shielded by a huge slab of steel.  
Is she glowing? Cody hissed to TK.  
Yeah, 'fraid so. Izzy's going to love this one.  
  
Izzy, we're just about in.  
Wow, you guys are fast. What's happening?  
Kari lit up like a birthday candle and is doing her lightbulb imitation.  
Tai's voice cut into the circuit.  
Relax Tai. We're receiving divine guidance from the source here. We're perfectly safe. Believe me, nothing can hurt us like this.  
  
Kari prowled through the computers as the door shut behind them and then pointed at one. This one.  
Ken walked over, hit a few buttons and was rewarded by a simple screen:  
  
UTOPIA CORPORATION DATA BACKUP SYSTEM  
  
All right. We're in. He carefully placed the most essential device he had into the computer through one of the I/O ports and clicked it on. The computer whirred into action, and then data began to process itself through the link. At the same time Ken began to consult data on the terminal a whirling line of code, and then he turned back to his D3 to talk to Izzy.  
  
Izzy, we've successfully confused the security system, but that program of yours won't keep it busy forever. I think we've got about five minutes before I have to pull out.  
Izzy took a single look and shook his head grimly. Even with the incredible speed of the transfer devices they had put together five minutes was not going to be enough to download all those files. They would need an hour at least, and Izzy realized they did not have an hour.  
Which files look important? He grumbled to himself, trying to figure out which ones to download. Then, with a look of deep concentration he closed his eyes, and tried to touch his crest. There was a feeling in his chest of something stirring and Izzy persisted, moving through a sightless world blindly, crawling toward the faintest signs of the light. He waited until his panic faded into determination, and then pressed onward again.  
Suddenly he was bathed in the Net Ocean, that vast sea of knowledge that once more filled him with awe and power, swimming in the middle of obscure facts and datapoints. Its light nurtured him, fed his brain, filled it with ideas, decisions. He felt himself cast adrift and responded instinctively.  
Quickly pushing keys he began to choose which files to download.  
  
Ken slammed the connection off just as the security system started to catch on and breathed a sigh of relief. At the other end of the room everyone else was clustered around Kari, who had stopped glowing.  
Shall we go? Cody asked.  
Ken turned toward the door and started to reach for the exit door when it suddenly clicked. Heavy bolts slid shut across it, barring it from opening. At the same time, there was a rumble of machinery from the other end of the room.  
What is it? Joe asked suddenly.  
The elevator. Patamon reported, ears cocked. Someone's coming down.  



	8. Incriminating Evidence

Disclaimer: I don't own digimon  
Author's Note: I'm back...sort of. More updates soon.   
  
**

Episode XXXIII  
Incriminating Evidence  


**   
_Toto – I've a feeling we're not in Kansas anymore.  
_Dorothy, Wizard of Oz Script.  
  
What's happening in there? Tai snapped, irritated, at Matt, who was supposed to be in charge of communication.  
Calm down Tai. I'm sure they're all right. Matt reassured them.  
I hope so. Jim muttered.  
  
How do we...? Ken began, but Gatomon had already spotted their way out.  
Quick, this way! She pointed and they ran. A door on the far side of the room suddenly gleamed invitingly, but when Kari got to the handle, it was locked.  
Now what? Joe despaired.  
TK and Sora threw everyone else aside as the lockpick kit reemerged. Quickly, as the creaks of an elevator grew ever closer they concentrated, beads of sweat emerging from their foreheads as the lock stubbornly refused to spring. Then, just as the creaking and grinding began to fade, as the elevator arrived the lock clicked open and all nine of them squeezed through and into the room on the other side. Joe closed the door after them just as the elevator pinged.  
So what are we doing? Someone inside asked.  
Sealing the place off. We have to do one of those long-term virus scans. And this place is built like a digital fortress. We have to do each machine by hand.  
That's gonna be fun. How long should it take?  
Get comfortable, we're going to be down here for a few hours. The second voice replied, followed by some computer clicking.  
Joe muttered, That isn't good.  
TK agreed mildly. It isn't. Ken, have any good ideas?  
One actually, where are we?  
I don't see what you...oh, in an emergency stairwell. Shall we take a look at the higher floors?  
Don't see why not. Ken shrugged, placed Wormmon on his shoulder and began to rapidly climb up the stairs. TK and Patamon followed with the others in tow. Unfortunately the other floors were even less interesting. There were four of them, one below the one they had started on, and two above, both of which were empty computer labs with no other exits in sight, besides the elevator. It was the top floor that attracted their attention.  
Where does it open up to? TK asked after Ken returned from listening at the door.  
Right into the middle of the security station. Ken replied, looking thoughtful.  
Well, we can't use that. Sora shrugged. Let's look back at the ground floors for something better.  
Wait a moment. Ken was staring at something. Look at that.  
Cody asked. Oh, the ventilation shaft. It's too small for a human to crawl through...oh, I think I see what you're saying.  
Right. Wormmon, do you think you could crawl through that up there?  
You should know by now Ken, crawling is what I do best.   
Right then. Cody, we need to use your sword to pry that off. Patamon, fly up there so you can catch it once we pry it open. Then Wormmon, you can take my D3, use it as a communication device and a transmitter so we can see what's out there.  
He can use mine. Joe volunteered. Without Gomamon here I can't digivolve anyone anyway, so mine is the best shot.  
Moments later Wormmon was squirming his way along the pathway, disappearing from sight, while Ken stood anxiously by, relaying the transmission to the Scanner.  
After a few minutes Wormmon had managed to find the way that most of the security center was laid out. Two different times he managed to end up overlooking a large lobby filled with a dozen different blue-uniformed guards. Another time they found a room filled with monitoring cameras and security systems and more guards. And then Wormmon explored the last place he could go inside the ducts and found himself facing a room piled high with armaments.  
Well well well. Ken muttered as he looked down at the room's inventory. That's impressive.  
Sora asked curiously.  
Look at that. Assault rifles, submachine guns, a pair of stripped down mortars, a rack of modern tactical shotguns, a set of complete anti-tank missile launchers. I haven't seen this much armament ever outside of an army base. This is an arsenal. Either they're ready to be hit by a small army here, or they're planning to invade a small piece of Tokyo. Ammo, grenades, explosives, all of this stuff is ready to go, and judging from the lack of dust, it's either well maintained, or well used. What do you bet that if we went into those basement areas that Izzy couldn't scan that we'd find a firing range?  
But why do this? Kari asked.  
Beats me. But these security guards could easily be trained in using this. That would give them a small army. But I have no idea what they would do with one. Ken frowned again. But that gives me an idea.  
Well, spill it Sherlock. TK said sarcastically.  
Calm down. Patamon, Gatomon, can either Angemon or Angewomon create a shock wave?  
A what? Patamon asked, settling down again on TK's head.  
A shock wave. Or, let me ask it another way. Can either of you knock down those things through a wall without damaging the wall?  
Gatomon and Patamon exchanged long measuring looks before Gatomon responded. I think so.  
Well, then here's my next plan. We need a distraction to get those guys out of our way downstairs. And, if I'm not reading the map wrong, we're right next to it. So, if we can get Angemon up here, he can knock down those weapons.  
So, it'll make a big clatter. Joe replied.  
Not just that. From what I can see, it seems that they've been racked ready to use. We might get a few gunshots, but even better, I think that the impact might set off the grenades, and some of the explosives. That'll make enough noise to send everyone in the building running.  
Then what? Joe asked.  
We shimmy down the ladder, get out the way we came in, and run for the exit. Nobody should be trying to intercept us. It will hide us because they'll probably think that something just fell over and set off a whole chain reaction. Ken smacked his palm with his fist. Get Wormmon out of there, and then everyone except Patamon get down to the floor we want. Patamon, I want you to digivolve when I give the signal and then I want that shock wave right... his hand moved,   
The little mammal chirped.  
C'mon Wormmon, hurry back.  
Right on cue the green worm jumped out of the open grate and landed in Ken's arms. Quickly everyone else retreated below a level to give Angemon some room to work in.  
Patamon...digivolve to...Angemon!  
The angel knelt in front of the wall, huge wings barely fitting inside the room, but somehow managing to appear calm and comfortable nonetheless.  
He whispered. Dance of a Thousand Stars. Each star moves in its orbit straight and clear, each knowing the steps of the great dance too well to make an error or an oversight. The power of the dance lies in movement, in fluid motion, in the power of the heart. I am a practitioner of the Asra-Dan-Catrel. Patience is my watchword, virtue my promise, concentration my symbol, honor my oath and grace my mark. I am Angemon, by right an angel, an agent of the guardians of worlds. Grant me my power now!  
Suddenly he moved. Both hands rose and placed themselves firmly against the wall. For a moment they seemed to glow with power and then the wall reverberated, as if an explosion had been set off within, but the wall remained intact. And then the other side of the wall seemed to erupt. Explosions, deafening even through the heavily armored wall penetrated to their eardrums, causing them to jump backwards in pain. Staccato noises that sounded like rifles firing mixed with explosions from conventional explosives, and the occasional bang of the grenades.  
They're gone. Gatomon reported, opening the door as the noises and the sound of alarms screeching began to wail. Now's our chance.  
Next time, warn us. Cody muttered.  
Maybe we should tell Tai that we're all right. Kari suggested.  
I'll do that. Ken rolled his eyes. You just run, okay?  
  
The explosion, muffled by the shielding of the building, was heard across the street where Tai was watching.  
What was that? He nearly jumped up.  
It sounded bad. Matt reported as alarms began to howl  
We've got to do something. Tai began. We've got to get in there and...  
We're on our way out. Ken reported from Tai's D3.  
Well I guess they did it. Jim whispered after a moment.  
I guess they did. Matt confirmed.  
  
Ken ran through the corridors that they had just gone through. The place was now empty. Apparently all the security guards were heading back toward the armory. Ken was just about to run around a corner when Gatomon, who was bounding ahead, held up a hand.  
They've sealed off this exit. Guards ahead.  
Ken muttered back. Izzy, got any ideas?  
Actually I do. Izzy's voice crackled back. Follow my lead. Turn around, when you get to the next corner turn right.  
Ken murmured as his group took the corner.  
Now open the fifth door on your left hand side.  
Cody asked as Ken reached the door.  
Just trust me. Izzy muttered back.  
Ken opened the door, peaked inside, and grinned. Right. Two maintenance stairways to the parking garage. Everyone inside.  
This is Tai. We have some activity around the main gates, but it seems that the rest of the grounds is clear. They don't seem to think that somebody else is around.  
TK responded as they took the stairs two at a time. A moment later they were standing in the orange light of the parking garage. Quickly moving they ran to the nearest ventilation window and jumped up to the sill, crawling out.  
We're all here. Cody reported, coming last.  
Let's go. Ken pointed to the familiar grove of trees in the southeast corner. We might as well get going.  
Tai, extraction. Joe barked.  
On the way. Jim reported back.  
Let's get out of here. TK shuddered, thinking how close they had come to being discovered, and defeating the purpose of the whole mission.  
  
Izzy began to sort through the data he had retrieved. Most of the stuff that he had randomly downloaded was useless, accounting reports, geographical plots, reports about far flung outposts in Utopia's commercial empire, but those files that he had chosen through the guidance of his crest were much more...interesting.  
He whispered, again and again.  
He felt ashamed saying it. This might be fascinating, but it was also incredibly dangerous, and, as a clearer picture began to emerge Izzy became more and more horrified.  
Did we get anything? Ken had arrived, he and the others looking like they had just been under a great deal of stress, which, Izzy reflected, they probably had.  
Yes, did they? Adam walked in the apartment, unsurprisingly with Master Ishiguro at his heels.  
Yes we did. And I'm beginning to get worried. Izzy pointed. Really worried that is. I think we have a problem.  
Don't we usually? Tai quipped, but became serious as the expression on Izzy's face warned him of sudden consequences.  
Maybe, maybe not. Izzy grimaced. Ever heard of FSUDP?  
The Florida State University Dining Plan? Adam asked, scrunching his nose in concentration.  
The Fujimora Sector Unfounded Development Project? TK scratched his head.  
The Foreign Samurai...never mind. Davis shook his head.  
Izzy growled at them. The Former Soviet Union Disarmament Program.  
Adam jerked like he had been shot. They're nowhere near that, I checked.  
Oh they aren't. Izzy narrowed his eyes. They aren't that is. You see the companies that got paid by the United States and NATO to buy up Russian armaments really didn't have much of a market for them for some reason. So they were thrilled when Utopia Corporation offered them use of storage lots in Japan to store their equipment. The files make a big deal out of that, and so would I.  
My God. Adam whispered. How could I have missed it? How could I have been so dumb? How bad is it?  
I don't know. We're talking on the order of a thousand tanks, and a thousand other armored vehicles, and probably at least a thousand artillery batteries. And several hundred airplanes. And a collection of missile and rocket launchers, radar towers, portable base materials, engineering vehicles...  
Enough. That's really, really bad.  
What does it mean? Tai asked, frowning.  
It means that Utopia Corporation has, if not a numerical advantage, than at least parity in equipment with the entire Japanese Self-Defense Force. If they can man all those units, strike fast and thoroughly, and persuade at least some SDF units not to get involved in the battle, they can take Japan through military force. And it's already that bad. Adam paused.   
But why? Ken spoke up as Yolei turned to him in the sudden silence. Why haven't they done it before? And how can they hope to hold it? After all, if they invaded Japan every other country on Earth would launch a counter-invasion. They could never hope to succeed.  
They must have some sort of plan. Cody mused.  
How long ago did they start this? Master Ishiguro asked quietly.  
Recently, two months ago. Izzy reported.  
Adam and Ken exchanged looks. It must be due to the digimon. It must, but how? Adam pounded his leg with his fist.  
We'll figure it out sooner or later. Mimi tried to reassure him.  
Probably in a bad way. Agumon murmured.  
  
The Yakuza? Adam, Izzy and Master Ishiguro were all sprawled in Adam's small office at the University of Tokyo.  
That seems to be the thing of the day. Somebody's been soaking up the usual thugs on the street, and that's putting the Yakuza out of business. Even the police have noticed that, so whatever's going to happen, is going to happen soon. The opposition isn't stupid enough to reveal itself without doing something. Master Ishiguro stared at the ceiling as if waiting for divine inspiration.  
that's just wonderful. Adam intoned sarcastically. Not only are they trying to establish a monopoly on digimon research - for reasons that none of us understand, they are also recruiting every thug they can find. I'm sure we're going to love whatever they come up with this time.  
What could they be trying to find regarding the digimon? Izzy wondered, half to himself.  
Maybe nothing. Maybe they already found something, and want to make sure that we aren't going to find anything. They're doing a pretty good job of driving the digidestined underground as well. I'm not sure I like that either. Adam looked like he wanted to smash something.  
I received a message from the Ancient as well. Ishiguro intertwined his fingers.  
Adam raised his head up to make full eye contact. What does the old man say?  
Only that the barriers between worlds are weakening.  
Adam sounded even more annoyed than earlier. I cannot do Membrane Physics, I have no idea what's causing this. Somebody's playing around with the spacetime continuum, and I have no idea why.  
  
Great. Just wonderful. Willis convulsed, squeezing an empty paper cup into a ball in one hand. Not only are we facing a powerful tyrant from the Digital World, we also get to handle a mutli-national corporation with a private army. Just wonderful.  
So what do we do now? Michael asked over Willis's shoulder.  
Do I look like I have a clue? We aren't going to invade Japan all by ourselves you know. At least the home front is clearing up. Willis gestured to his hand where the latest _New York Times_ lay, casually thrown across the table. The title said Fighting Fire With Fire and the article talked about police-digidestined cooperation around the world, and the effect that the children were having on the strikes. It mentioned Team Eagle prominently, not releasing names, but naming them New York's Own.  
The Aerie was more crowded than usual. Instead of the usual six of them occupying it, they now had fifteen inside, and more living in various parts of New York. The recent surge in publicity had brought recruits out of the woodwork, and now there were a firm dozen experienced fighters ready to go at moment's notice. That gave Willis and Lou time to create complicated computer programs to try and track down their enemies, but was not giving them any luck.  
Steve sat down holding a bag of bagels from the bakery down the street, it seems that the attacks have fallen off.  
They would have had to. Utopia doesn't have the same kind of support in New York, so they lose a big advantage when we start using digimon to fight digimon. What I wonder is what the next plan is going to be. Willis kept squeezing the remains of the paper cup.  
Does it matter what we do now? Lou wanted to know from behind them.  
No. This is in the hands of the A team. Willis muttered.  
So what do we do? Michael asked quietly.  
Start training. Willis put the remains of the cup down. I've been reading some of Izzy's work and I agree with him. It's time to turn our companions into real soldiers.  
Do we have to? Terriermon asked from below Willis's chair.  
Do we have a choice?  
  
Damn, I do not like this. Professor Takenouchi stood looking at the graphs on his desk. There is a lot of energy swirling around here.  
Maybe someone's building black holes in their basement. Jim suggested.  
Ha ha, Jim, ha ha.  
  
Did you know my father? Cody asked, very quietly.  
Actually, yes, I did. Master Ishiguro stopped for a moment to observe the small child, the one who was no longer a child. You want to know what he was like, don't you.  
Yes actually. Cody replied. You know, I always wanted to know what my father was really like. I really miss him, but I barely remember what he was like.  
That's to be expected. You didn't know him very well, did you? Master Ishiguro sheathed the sword he had been practicing with in a smooth motion, and sat down.  
I was very young. Cody sat down also, crossing his legs.  
Then you wouldn't know. Master Ishiguro smiled softly. You know your father much better than I ever did.  
What do you mean? Cody asked surprised.  
Your father molded his whole life on your grandfather. In many ways he idolized the old man. I don't mean that in a bad way, but your father became the man your grandfather is now, wise and compassionate, careful to consider action, but quick to act. He became wise early on, he learned from your grandfather well, and your grandfather taught him very well indeed. I was honored to know both of them. For a moment there was something very like water in Master Ishiguro's eyes.  
.I see. Cody stood up, realizing that maybe he did know his father.  
Oh, and one more thing. Master Ishiguro spoke as he stood up.  
Cody turned, surprised.  
Your father was willing to give his life for a cause, for a purpose, to help other people. I have no way of communicating how proud he would be of you at this moment. And I know that, if he were you, he would have made the same choices.  
Beneath a nearby table Armadillomon pretended not to cry.  
  
Tactical Unit One. Lieutenant Takaeda speaking.  
Lieutenant, there's going to be a transfer today. The voice on the other end hissed.  
Suddenly Takaeda felt a flood of anticipation hit him. This would be the big break they might have been waiting for. Normally the biggest of the crime syndicates around were the Yakuza, but the Yakuza groups were slowly being driven off the streets by something both big and mean, and Takaeda and the rest of the Tokyo Metro Police never really had a clue who it was. All they knew, from what they had gleamed from scared informers, had been that somebody was smuggling something. But what they had been smuggling had never been apparent to the Police Department.  
South warehouse district, the old Akron 47. The other end of the line went dead.  
Maybe we'll get them after all. Takaeda muttered to himself.  
  
Hawkmon tried his best to hide in the pillow. He was having a problem. Yolei's family, so cramped in their apartment, was also one of the most boisterous group of humans he had ever come in contact with. He loved them dearly, but they had a habit of expanding to fill any space. Hawkmon highly suspected that if they managed to win a mansion somehow that they would still end up occupying every available piece of room. Unfortunately, part of his problem was that he was not alone.  
Maybe you could run for it now. Patamon whispered, peering through the open window with Veemon standing right beside him. It's not that far.  
Are you joking Patamon? Hawkmon hissed back, his normal accent stretched to the breaking point. Her sister is looking straight into this room. If she even catches a glimpse of my feathers, I'm done for.  
What, is the hawk a big chicken? Veemon asked, staring hard into the room.  
There was an indignant noise from Yolei's pile of pillows. At least Jun didn't stick me in the washing machine.  
That's not funny! Veemon snapped. Anyway, how was I supposed to know that I was hiding in the dirty laundry bin, and not the clean one.  
I don't know. Common sense maybe? Hawkmon snapped back.  
What was that? I thought I heard something. Yolei's older sister, who stayed home and helped run the store, turned curiously toward her room.  
Oh nuts. Hide! Patamon squealed.  
  
Kari jerked awake with a shout.  
None of the digidestined had been getting much sleep lately, and Kari had been napping during the lunch break, along with Yolei and Ken who reluctantly climbed back into consciousness at that sound.  
What was that? TK looked like he had just been drowsing or something.  
Kari whispered, clutching her backpack to her and trying to ignore the cold sweat that was pouring down her face and the staring faces of some other students who were now staring in her direction. I dreamed that I was back in the Dark Ocean.  
I hope you're alright. TK gave her arm a reassuring squeeze. It's alright here.  
There's someone looking for me. Kari tried breathing in and out to calm herself. I think it's himthe Monarch of the Dark Ocean. I think he wants the Light. He told me Her voice failed for a second. he told me that the barriers between the worlds had been weakened, and that he could now reach through.  
TK tried to comfort her, and hoped that this was only a single dream.  
  
Mr. Kamiya, why are you yawning so much? Do you truly find this so boring? Tai's Biology teacher leaned over him like a breaking storm, her gaze fixed on the suddenly more aware teenager.  
Sorry, it was a long night. Tai confessed.  
Well, your late night partying has certainly cost your grades enough. His teacher snapped, irritation lining her face. You'll be staying here after school today Mr. Kamiya. And no groaning from you. You brought this on yourself.  
Tai groaned again as the final bell rang and everyone else left the class, including his teacher, who shot him a blazing glance as she left. He slumped down in his seat, wondering what his parents would say about this. Sora and Matt entered the room just as he was about to bang his head against the desk again.  
So hotshot, I hear that you got detention again. Matt nodded at him.  
Yeah, I need a better publicist. Tai muttered.  
Either that, or you should start drinking coffee in the morning. Sora advised.  
I should have thought of that first. Tai groaned.  
Taichi Kamiya? A new voice asked. A man in a long business coat entered the room, closing the door after him. Ah, and you're Sora Takenouchi and Yamato Ishida, aren't you?  
Yeah, that's us. Matt replied warily.  
Really. How fortunate to have found you. Well, I hope you don't take it personally, but I've been hired to kill you.  
Tai tried to open his mouth to say something, but suddenly, to his complete and utter horror, he could not move anything at all. None of his muscles worked, he was frozen in place. Judging from the sudden wildness of Sora and Matt's eyes they were having the same problem.  
He drew a straight knife from his belt, dropping his coat around him, revealing a pure black outfit and a dozen different weapons Tai could not recognize, as well as a black stone in a band around his left wrist. I'm a professional, so normally I don't make it hurt so much. But my employer wishes you to suff...aaauughhh!  
Tai had not even seen anything until after it was all over. The window exploded inward in a thousand shards and, cannonballing inwards with them, Master Ishiguro shot through the gap, a long, curved katana in one hand swiping out horizontally right across the plane of assassin's upper arm. Then Master Ishiguro came to rest, his blade still held in a ready position.  
The assassin laughed suddenly and held his hand over the gaping wound in his arm. Sora tried to flinch from it, the sight of bone and bared flesh was making her sick, but the assassin merely gestured and the wound grew smaller until it sealed up entirely. Than he turned his attention to Ishiguro.  
So, the rumors are true. They tell of one who wields the Divine Blade in Janero's stead, of a master of the Sattoro Gesai, one who knows each step in the dance of death. It appears that I have a rare opportunity for entertainment in my work. Are you as good as they say you are Hideo?  
The rumors also whisper in the dark of an assassin named Thanatos, named for death. Ishiguro spoke, still facing the wall, blade horizontal. They say that he is unstoppable, master of a dozen killing techniques, that he prefers to work with a blade instead of a gun, and that he has supernatural abilities. And some, who whisper in the darkest of nights, speak of the stone he wears. The Nadir they call it. I see that those unfortunate rumors are true.  
You are well versed, but this endless talk gets us nowhere. Shall we?  
At that Thanatos tore a katana of his own from his belt. And then they were off. Tai, frozen in place, could only see a brief part of the battle, but he had never seen anything like it. Walls crumpled, cut to pieces under sword slashes. Just when he was afraid that Hideo was going to die he shot up, for a moment adhering to the wall, and then the ceiling, diving down on his opponent. Then Thanatos seemed to warp straight through three desks, letting Hideo bounce off of empty ground. They rushed each other again, swords out and swinging, stroke after stroke, high parry, low thrust, low swing, middle parry, double twist, parry and middle swing. Knees bent and shoulders twisted to absorb and reflect weight, to absorb and react against incoming blows.  
Suddenly Thanatos twisted free and flipped out of Ishiguro's path, holding out one hand commandingly. Three desks began to move, throwing themselves at Ishiguro's legs. All three of them were splinters before they hit, but the effort caused Ishiguro to fall to the ground. As Thanatos charged him, Hideo slapped the ground with one hand and a jet of exploding earth blasted toward the assassin, catching him unawares and blasting him temporarily skyward.  
Then they were clashing in the middle of the room. Thanatos grimaced as Master Ishiguro, deadfaced, pressed the attack. Impossible spins, backflips and other techniques dotted a battle that was rapidly becoming an aerial display. Tai was reminded of the display of prowess and special effects from the Jedi battle in _The Phantom Menace_, as impossible motions came to life. The combatants no longer even had to look at what they were attacking, at what they were blocking. They merely moved against each other, swinging strokes without looking, dodging blows they could not see. If Tai could have moved he would have been gaping in awe at the display of skill, but all he could do was let his eyes widen as the blows came closer and closer to home.  
Then, just as it seemed the one of them must surely be killed there was a crackle and a miniature bolt of lightning slammed down from the light fixtures, blasting through Thanatos' swords.  
Well well well, it seems that Adam is coming. I have no wish to engage both of you at this time. Thanatos grinned, a smile Tai did not like at all. I will observe the protocols. For now the children are safe from me, but you will excuse my attempts to draw you both into the open.  
Then Thanatos was simply gone.  
Parlor tricks. Master Ishiguro muttered as life returned to the limbs of the others.  
But potent ones. Adam entered through the door, his eyes calm and collected as he took in the damage to the room.  
I agree with that. We're going to have to deal with this sooner or later Adam.  
With all of this. Adam replied grimly.  
  
It doesn't make any more sense today than it did yesterday. Izzy grumbled to Joe and Yolei, both of whom were watching him. I just don't like it.  
Well, could it just be a business option? Joe asked.  
Possible, but I highly doubt it. Izzy responded.  
Cody was standing around in the background, carrying one of Adam's practice swords, a western-style rapier, over one shoulder.  
Look at it this way. It just happens to give them enough military equipment on Japanese soil just in time for all hell to break lose. I mean, think about it. The timing is awfully coincidental. My theory is that they're going to use the digimon as the pretense for seizing Japan. That could be why they're willing to work with Khartan.  
Did you get anything else from their mainframe? Yolei asked.  
Quite a bit, and none of it good. The part that really bothers me is the fact that they seem to be spending so much money in digimon research. The ghostbusters work practically 24/7 and the only thing of use they've found is a basic synthesis of how digimon are put together. But Utopia is devoting all these energies to digimon research for some unknown reason, I have no idea why they're doing it.  
Maybe they think they can harness the special powers of digimon. Yolei suggested, shrugging.  
Maybe, but then how are they doing the research. We have to satisfy ourselves with researching the digital data leftovers of a destroyed digimon. How in the world do they do much research on that? You can barely even tell whether the digimon in question was a virus, a vaccine or a data type based on that knowledge. Logically for them to be gaining some other type of information they must be performing research on live digimon. But where are they getting them? Every time we get near, _kapow_, they blow up. So obviously they either must be working with Khartan, or they must be gaining some other source of digimon.  
What other sources of digimon are there? Hawkmon settled next to Yolei.  
Well, we all have one.  
But you're digidestined. Armadillomon returned, paying more attention to Cody than he was to Izzy.  
Right, but we're not the only digidestined anymore. There are hundreds of them, maybe even thousands of them around the world that we don't know about. How would we know if a few of them disappeared? Izzy suddenly sounded afraid.  
That's horrible! Tentomon exclaimed.  
Isn't it. Joe commented. Horrible and diabolical. I don't know how we're going to deal with this one.  
We've got to find out what they're doing. Izzy stated it as fact.  
  
Lieutenant Takaeda slowed the car for a moment, staring out the side of the patrol vehicle. No, never mind. It wasn't them. I'm glad you volunteered to come along on this kids.  
Wouldn't miss it for the world. Tai reported, Agumon nodding next to him in the seat.  
Sure thing. Matt and TK were sandwiched into the other side of the car, Patamon and Gabumon were pretty scrunched too.  
I know that this normally isn't your thing, but, well, it seems that it might be tied up with all this other activity. If your theory about the enemy having human associates is true, this might be just what you're looking for. The unmarked police car shot through the streets of Tokyo.  
So, who else is going to be in on this? Matt asked.  
Just Unit One. I really don't trust anybody else not to tip off the bad guys to what's going on. You kids probably won't be needed, but I suspect somehow that I won't get away that lucky. Besides, if you do show up, it will give our officers another reason to trust you.  
So how bad can it be? Matt asked.  
I don't like to think about that. It used to be that we'd never have problems like this, but in the past three weeks violent crime in Tokyo has risen by about two hundred percent. Yet none of the usual suspects seem to be responsible. I simply don't know what to think about that. Takaeda pulled over the car next to an innocuous warehouse. They were in an isolated part of industrial Tokyo, surrounded by a set of abandoned buildings. Anyway, Kiyesu is actually in charge of the operation, and I hope he remembers how to work this.  
There were sudden explosions of gunfire from inside the building. Takaeda jerked up suddenly as the sounds of shouts and screams broke out.  
That's not supposed to be happening! He yelled, scrambling out of the car, gun drawn. The three digimon jumped out as well.  
And then the door to the warehouse blasted open. Something rumbled out, something large.  
Bloody Hell! Takaeda yelled. Since when did my city become another blasted anime show? His MP5 came off his shoulder, but he decided not to risk firing, and to dive out of the way instead. Tai was forced to agree with him. The thing that had walked out of the warehouse looked like a giant humanoid mechanical suit from any one of a number of animes that he enjoyed. Unfortunately, it was also standing fairly tall overhead, and, judging from the smoking gun barrel on its right shoulder, it was part of the cause of all this havoc. It was bulky, standing about three meters tall, made up of connected joint of huge, oddly shaped blocks of metal. A large, menacing head topped the construct, looking a little like Darth Vader's helmet. More menacing still was the combination of two mutli-barreled gatling guns, one on each arm over the large hands, the huge tank-sized cannon over the right shoulder and what looked like a set of missile tubes on the left chest.  
What the ! Takaeda yelled, his last word fortunately blotted out by the roar as yet another robot stepped through the walls of the warehouse.  
Tai yelled into his D3. You there?  
Yes, I'm here. Izzy replied.   
Never mind! Remember that analysis program for analyzing digimon? Use it remotely through my D3 to analyze these suckers, got it?  
Sure, but what....  
Never mind. Agumon, Gabumon, Patamon, go!  
Patamon....digivolves to...Angemon!  
Agumon...warp digivolves to...WarGreymon!  
Gabumon...warp digivolves to...MetalGarurumon!  
You've got to be kidding me. Matt was crouched down in the car, on top of TK. Giant fighting robots? What's next, alien invasions?  
Tai was ignoring him, running into the battle scene. WarGreymon, get inside, see if any of them are inside there. MetalGarurumon, back him up. Angemon, can you take these guys?  
Let's find out. Angemon muttered flatly. I'll peel the pilot out and have a word with him. He advanced on the two robots still visible. One of them turned toward him, and his right shoulder cannon fired once. Angemon was thrown back violently, crashing into a pile of boxes at the side of another building, sending debris flying.  
TK broke free of Matt for a moment, and began to race toward his fallen companion before Matt grabbed him by one arm and threw him back into cover behind the car.  
The angel rose from the boxes, shaking his head to clear it. That actually hurt. I admit, I'm impressed, but you don't get that chance again.  
This time both cannons belched fire and smoke, thunderous roars temporarily deafening Tai, but Angemon was whirling his staff, and the two shells exploded harmlessly against the shield of his spinning staff, now suffused with a faint golden fire. The angel looked completely unimpressed, but then again, so did the monstrous robots.  
Angemon suddenly shot into full motion, speeding across the ground so fast that the robots literally could not react in time. Reaching out with one glowing fist he slammed it into the heart of the first robot, grabbing at something within. Then he stopped and frowned for a moment.  
Hand of Fate! He yelled, and the robot exploded in front of him.  
Tai, TK! He yelled. These things aren't alive, they have no pilot, and they certainly aren't digimon. They must just be machines!  
Works for me! Tai yelled from his new hiding place, next to Lieutenant Takaeda. Take them apart.  
  
Kiyesu hunkered down beneath the cover of a huge metal table. The appearance of the four giant robots had certainly taken the surprise out of the ambush, the result was that it was now his team that was being surprised. The monsters were impervious to the low-caliber weapons of the Unit, and they were returning fire with those horrible gatling guns that were so much more powerful than anything in the police arsenal. They were armed with personal weapons, tactical shotguns and submachine guns, and these things were walking tanks. Fortunately the warehouse was crowded with heavy industrial machinery that prevented the robots from following his team, but regardless, this was just crazy. They could not even scratch the blasted things.  
Metal Wolf Snout! A new voice cut through the battle, and there were two separate explosions from inside.  
You didn't have to hit him quite so hard. It looks like him and his buddies don't have much fight left in them anyway.  
Well, that one seems to.  
Kiyesu ducked out of hiding to see the two huge digimon from the previous battle holding onto one of the giant robots. The robot was missing both arms and most of its shoulder cannon, and the giant armored dinosaur was shaking his head at it.  
It's glowing too fast. Self-destruct device...everybody down!   
The next explosion threatened to level a good part of the warehouse, but the explosions and the crashes of falling gear faded quickly.  
Well, that was anti-climatic. WarGreymon noted as Tai and Takaeda skidded into the room.  
What...the fuck...was that? Takaeda was gasping.  
If I knew boss, I'd tell you. Kiyesu emerged from hiding, gun still drawn, but everything seemed to be perfectly under control.  
TK was walking in from the door, a look of total and complete horror on his face. There was no pilot?  
No there wasn't TK. I checked everywhere, and I could sense little within. There was some faint intelligence, but I cannot tell you more.  
But that...that... He pointed at a white object fallen onto the floor. That's a human brain Angemon.  
Takaeda walked up to a huge metal container and wrenched the door open. Tai peered in and nearly vomited all over the cargo of human internal organs.  
  
So what the hell were those? Tai asked, having recovered from his brief fit of being sick back in Adam's apartment.  
Beats the hell out of me. Adam responded. Thing just keep getting stranger around here.  
I know. Even for the Digiworld huge giant fighting machines with human brains are pushing things. Someone's really screwing with reality around here. Sora sank down into a chair.  
Davis remarked, scowling silently.  
And why is someone shipping them along with huge stores of human internal organs? Izzy asked rhetorically, missing the sudden edge of revulsion that passed over TK's face. It doesn't make sense.  
Well, I think I know where to find the answers. Tai was still looking out of the window.  
Yeah, where?  
  
  
Review please!  



	9. Covert Operations

Disclaimer: Digimon is a properly licenced product that does not belong to me.  
Author's Note: I'm back...again. I've just had a busy schedule in terms of hours per day spent out of my apartment. Oh well. I should do some more updates. Anyways, I wanted to thank all those like Sparrow9 and EllaJ.W who have been loyally following this story, despite my slow updates. Thanks a lot guys!  
**  


Episode XXXIV  
Covert Operations  


**   
Well, at least you got enough data to analyze. Joe murmured as the rest of the digidestined gathered around Izzy's computer station at Adam's apartment and the last rays of the setting sun played through the sliding door.  
We also got the wreckage. Stole most of it actually. The rest of it disappeared out of police storage mysteriously. Authorities aren't commenting. Adam snorted.  
But Professor Takenouchi, Izzy and I have spent all day looking at it. Jim reported. And we've found some unpleasant results.  
Well, don't leave us all in suspense. Mimi yelled out. Tell us already.  
Yolei was looking impatient as well.  
All right. The robots themselves appear to be designated as TITAN units.  
Titan units. Titans. Now there's a name. Matt commented.  
Anyway their armor is actually a low grade Chobham type armor, about five centimeters of it on a steel frame.  
What's Chob...whatever? Davis asked. Veemon shrugged.  
A particular type of armor originally developed for use on western bloc Main Battle Tanks. Adam reported from the side. It features several layers of sandwiched armor plate of varying compositions to deplete the kinetic energy of incoming rounds. It's surprisingly effective. This is low grade stuff, but it works fine.  
The power system appears to be a bit of a mystery. Izzy reported shrugging. They were using something to generate electricity but we don't know what it was. In addition they had a great number of internal organs, human ones, scattered somewhere in there, each one recovered showed traces of some sort of liquid storage container, but we don't know what they were doing with it.  
The really bad part is a result, a direct result, of their sensor and weapons systems. From what we recovered from one of their helmets they have two visual cameras of astonishing focus and ability. They have what appears to be a radar system as well tucked away into their head. A decent acoustic system has also been recovered. We don't know where the electronic impulses from these devices go. It's sort of a mystery to us. I didn't actually think that something like this would be able to function.  
The armament is equally worrying. They've managed to secrete two Utopia arms 7.62 milimeter Halbred class miniguns, comparative to the American Vulcan gun system, able to engage airborne and ground based targets. The right shoulder carries an automatically loaded German-made 105 millimeter cannon, originally designed to be deployed on old Leopard tanks. The left torso carries a pair of missile tubes, and a magazine that was fortunately empty during the battle. They appear to be outfitted to carry a modified version of several different Utopia hand launched missiles, including and anti-tank and anti-air variety. That gives them firepower superior to most tanks, and a lot more mobility.  
So their army has another addition to worry about? Kari asked, swinging her legs back and forth from where they were dangling beneath the couch.  
It has some definite disadvantges too. Adam reported, looking over some papers he was holding in his hand. The old German 105s were top of the line in their day, but most modern MBTs, sorry, Main Battle Tanks, carry newer weapons, either the western one-twenty, or the former Soviet one-twenty-fives. I'm not sure what that means, perhaps the Titans can't handle the heavy firepower or the recoil of the weapon, or perhaps the magazine became too vulnerable. Auto-loader jams are a mess for any weapon, not just one of these. So, on an open field, unless we're missing something, a regular tank could shoot it to pieces from longer range. And they jerk a lot when moving so they can't fire that well on the run. That cuts down on their mobile effectiveness. I don't think they can really outrun a tank either. They have some air defense, but one of the newer attack helicopters, or a fighter bomber could blast through that thing. Given the quality of the armor a group of infantry could take it out with handheld anti-tank missiles. And judging from its performance, they stand about as strong as most Champion level digimon only, meaning that they could be thrashed soundly by most of you. I don't know what they're purpose is, besides the fact that they have no manpower cost.  
Maybe they're just perfecting the model. Joe muttered.  
Now there's a pleasing thought. Adam shuddered.  
So what do we do about it? Matt asked.  
We've got a lot of questions. Tai grinned savagely. Let's take them to the source. Why not ask Utopia Headquarters?  
I thought you might see it that way. Izzy informed him. So I've been working up a way to do just that. We've been mapping Utopia Headquarters day and night for the past forty-eight hours, in shift too, and I'm ready to admit that we might have a chance at cracking them. We should be able to get in and poke around.  
Then let's do it. Tai declared. Us, all of us, are going in to go get some answers, and me personally...I don't feel much like taking no for an answer. How 'bout it you guys?  
There was a broad cheer of support.  
All right then. Izzy grinned at all of them. The main target is down here, in the labs. The building complex as you can see from the model is large. One main skyscraper tower, twenty-three stories tall, with what appears to be a seven-story basement. Four other smaller towers arranged around, each fifteen stories tall. The rest of the complex alters between eight and nine stories tall, and comprises a rectangle approximately three-hundred fifty meters by two hundred meters. It houses approximately thirty thousand workers during the day, and also appears to have a series of on-site apartments, housing approximately a thousand people all day long. It has a small army of security personnel, but it also has the disadvantage of being so large, winding, and interlaced with separate offices that it is almost impossible to patrol the whole thing. The only reason that they have so far been able to avoid penetration is a huge sophisticated electronic surveillance system. However, this system can be rendered ineffective by our digital barrier. Our most promising targets are the large computer systems in the central hub, some of the offices in the middle of the large tower, and the basement underneath the tower. So we need a plan for getting in and out. Remember, they could very well be protected by dark digimon as well.  
Tai mused. Ken, you've got a lot of experience, so how do we do this?"  
I don't know. Maybe three teams. One to go in first and secure an entrance, and find an empty spot to go down into the main labs. Two other teams airlifted in, landing in the secure area quietly. One team with a group of computer hackers, the other to hit the basement underneath the tower and find out what's there. The third team might want to keep an eye on security headquarters as well.  
There's another question. Tai pointed out. Do we need to make this attack stealthy, or does the fact that they'll know they've been hit matter?  
I don't know. Izzy replied.  
We should probably start out trying to hide. After that we can get interesting. Yolei volunteered.  
Good plan. TK, elaborate on Ken's plan.  
All right. Using three teams, the first infiltrates the center under the guise of darkness. That means that they would have to do it about what time around here? Izzy, when do they close up shop and go home?  
Just a second. Okay, almost everyone who goes home goes home by about nine o'clock.  
All right. TK continued. So about nine thirty team one hits the doors, one of the non-guarded entrances, probably a window in the first floor in some less important part of the complex. That team should have at least two people with their digimon, perferably more, but not more than five. They find a nice open space, and it looks like that model gives us several, where we can hit the ground pretty heavy and bring the rest of the team in.  
That brings us to teams two and three. They have to come in by air since they stand a lot better chance of tripping security. But that also means no Kabuterimon and no Birdramon because those two are way too big to fly in. That leaves us Stingmon, ExVeemon, Paildramon, Lilymon, Silphymon, Aquilamon, WarGreymon and MetalGarurumon, Angemon and Angewomon to get them in.  
But I think that Ken should be with team one, because he's the best at sneaking around. And he knows what he's doing. Matt objected.  
All right, that sounds good. Tai walked up to a handy whiteboard and wrote down three numbers in different columns, placing Ken's name under the number one.  
So we scratch Paildramon and Stingmon. Tai continued. And I think that Lilymon should also be scratched unless someone wants to paint her black or something. So, Veemon, Hawkmon, how do you feel about carrying all the rest of us?  
That depends on how many of us there are. Hawkmon pointed out.  
Well, that's a good question. Tai pointed. I guess we have to figure out who's going where. How many of us want to go for team one?  
Ken raised his hand. I think TK should go. We do pretty good at this, he's not bad at what he does, in fact he's pretty good, and he has a lot of good sense. I nominate him for team one.  
And I volunteer Sora. Joe stood up. She can help pick locks too. And she can keep an eye on the other two, can't she?  
That gives us three, anybody else? Tai looked around.  
Well, Ken and TK may be good at this infiltration stuff, but maybe you should invite the pros along too. Hideo and I had some words and decided that if you're going along with this crazy plan, we're coming along. Adam smiled at them. I hereby nominate myself and Hideo Ishiguro for action in team one.  
Well, that fills that up. Tai finished writing down the names. So, team two goes after the computer systems. Who's up?  
Izzy raised his hand. I'm going in with them. I have to because I'm the computer hacker. And if I'm going I'd like Yolei along with me, because she's pretty good with computers herself.  
Thanks Izzy. Yolei blushed.  
And I'll follow them around. Cody raised his hand. Just to back them up.  
Tai wrote down those three names. You'll still need someone in charge. Davis, you up to pulling a stint as leader?  
Sure thing chief. Davis grinned up at Tai.  
Right, so that's team two. All the rest of us are on team three then. I'll take charge of that one, and you all can back me up on that.  
So how do we get in? Mimi asked.  
Team One comes in on foot. We'll get the police to drop us off. Tactical Unit One and the other units are steamed about the mysterious robots that the authorities are claiming never existed. They should be willing to help us. We can sneak in from there. Izzy pointed.  
Once we check things out, we'll get in touch with you. Too much transmission and communication might ruin our cover, but I think that you guys can home in on our D3 signatures once we give the signal. TK stared at the map.  
Tai took things up from there. Team Two, ExVeemon will carry all of you in but Yolei. Yolei, you'll be coming in with Silphymon and Angewomon and team three. Izzy, is there some way to help disguise our digimon?  
Sure, it's called black cloth. We can cut robes of a sort to disguise our digimon, and keep them hidden. Then it will be almost impossible to find them. Izzy reported.  
Tai reported. Team One, you better get to planning. Everyone else, it's time to train ourselves. We may need the teamwork.  
  
This bothers me. Sora murmured silently, so that only Mimi could hear. TK and Matt, sitting next to them and discussing whatever they were discussing looked like they were in the middle of a conversation too important to interrupt. At least, Sora did not want to interrupt any family business. They were out to pick up a few pieces from TK and Matt's apartment, and for Mimi to get some clothing material.  
What about it? Mimi whispered back conspiratorially.  
Well, it just seems to me that we might end up biting off more than we can deal with. I mean, we might have a problem because we're fighting other people. Sora looked particularly upset, and Mimi did not blame her. After all, fighting people was a new thing for all of them really.  
I guess it's what we have to do. For some reason Mimi felt able to be fatalistic about this. The position clearly surprised Sora, who probably expected Mimi to have a sudden lack of confidence in the face of this development, but Mimi only smiled. You have to remember Sora, we always try not to harm others, and that means that we must be the good guys here. It's what we do Sora. It's what we are, and it's what we're going to end up doing. It's our job because nobody else can do it.  
Well, if you put it that way. Sora smiled reluctantly.   
Mimi smiled back, confident that she was doing the right thing.  
  
Wow Tai. Kari commented, widening her eyes in mock surprise. I never knew that you could talk so fast.  
Oh can it. Tai replied, aiming a playful swat at his sister that she easily avoided.   
You sure did talk fast though. Joe was leaning next to the door, having overheard the whole conversation.  
Well, it did get us out of having to stay home. Only problem is, if our parents find out that we aren't at the university, we're in real trouble.  
Don't worry about it. Jim was standing at the end of the hall, listening in on their conversation. I'll cover for you. And I've arranged it with security. If your parent's actually do show up, they'll lead them around by the nose for a while, and then inform them oh so politely that you just left for the observatory. They'll never realize the real reason why you aren't around. Jim sounded confident enough as they headed for the familiar yellow car.  
But that was a good job. Joe congratulated Tai.  
Yeah. I heard it to. You sure can talk fast. Jim shook his head.  
It's why he isn't grounded for life. Kari mumbled under her breath.  
  
What's this? Ken looked down one end of the device.   
Diamond tipped miniature saw. It can cut through security cables and metal bars should we need it. Don't knock it, that thing cost about five thousand dollars. Adam pulled the next item out of the huge black chest he had unearthed.  
Grappel gun? Sora asked.  
Something like that. That's an apt comparison I suppose. Adam placed that in his pile, and picked up the next device.  
And this? TK peered at it curiously.  
Lockpick kit. _My_ lockpick kit. It's my spare, you kids want it?  
Sure. What does it have in it? Sora asked.  
All sorts of things. Electronic devices as well as mechanical. It has several devices for electronic keypads and retinal scanners too. Adam placed that in Sora's pile and then pulled out another black kit. Electrician's kit. Never know when this thing might come in handy.  
And that? TK pointed at the set of objects that Adam was giving to each of them.  
Adam reported, continuing. Seeing TK's blank look he rolled his eyes. You hit people with it.  
Oh. OH.  
Don't worry. Ken grinned. We shouldn't have to use it.  
Hmmm...what else do I have in here? Flashbangs, stun grenades, acetylene torch, fragmentation grenades, laser sight, high explosives, detonator caps, radio jammers, and...ta-da...a Desert Eagle handgun specifically fitted for armor piercing penetrators.  
What the heck are you? Batman? The Terminator? We're not trying to invade the place. TK grinned and shook his head.  
Never hurts to be prepared. Anyone want a tear gas bomb?  
  
High above them Angemon and Angewomon were sparring again. Their blows flickered in the air, a series of rapid strikes that stretched any observer's ability to follow, ricocheting off each other at lightning speeds. They were avoiding most ariel acrobatics, preferring to stay in the realm of the familiar and the easily replicable. Each blow was fit for use in a constrained hallway, each movement ready for the battlefield of a corporate headquarters.  
Angemon withdrew, holding his staff upwards.  
Right. So how are the others doing? Angewomon asked.  
I don't know. Angemon looked down. Hopefully fine.  
  
I've never had to dye this many clothes before. Mimi mumbled as she set to work with a will. Her hands were already partially discolored.  
Ask me about that time when my band decided to change colors from green to black right before a concert. Matt returned, concentrating mostly on the task at hand. It's too bad they didn't stock anything like what we need for the younger kids. At least we have something.  
Joe nodded emphatically from behind them. He was busy cataloging the different clothes that they had gotten from various sources to complete the mission. Each one was similar, a set of black pants with matching socks, both made out of a lightweight, tear resistant cloth. A light, but concealing, long-sleeved shirt. A simple bulletproof vest with a number of pockets. A pair of shooter's gloves.  
I feel like I'm outfitting a SWAT team. Joe complained after a few moments.  
Well, in a way you are. Matt returned. If there ever was such a thing as special weapons, we've got 'em.  
I'm not a weapon. Palmon spoke up.  
Well, tonight you will be. Mimi returned.  
  
I'm sorry Tai. It's difficult. ExVeemon spoke from where he was lying in a heap on the ground. I've never worn clothes before, and they keep messing up my landing. He was wearing a set of darkened garments that Izzy had just put together for him with the help of Sora.  
Well, learn fast. Tai's smile took the bite out of his words. C'mon, it can't be all that bad.  
It's easy. Silphymon had turned up, already in pure black, and was hovering right beside ExVeemon, looking down on her companion.  
That's easy for you and Angewomon. It's not like either of you ever have to beat your wings to stay in the air. ExVeemon grumbled good naturedly.   
Don't worry ExVeemon. You'll get the hang of this soon. Davis promised from the ground.  
I hope so. Too many more problems like this, and you'll need a replacement partner. Or at least replacement parts for the one you have. And I have to learn before tonight.  
  
You going to be around tonight Izzy? Izzy's adopted father yelled at him from the couch as he headed for the door again.  
No. Sorry Dad, but I have work to do that's really important. I promise to spend more time with the family in the future, but I'm really busy now.  
That's okay. Izzy's father turned around and smiled at the nervous redhead. I'm used to it by now. And I know that for you important doesn't mean playing video games or anything like that. I'll try and forgive you this once. He grinned even wiser.  
Well Izzy. His mother appeared suddenly in the doorway. If you'reif you'rewell, you knowthen you better take this dinner I made for you. She held out a wrapped box.  
Thanks mom! Izzy exclaimed. I'll be gone tonight down at the lab, but I'll see you tomorrow. He grabbed the box from his mother's hands. Love you both. Bye!  
I'm proud of you Izzy. His mother whispered to the closing door.  
  
Tai. We're in. Ken whispered. The perimeter wasn't bad, and it looks like the new digital barrier program is holding. We're heading for the complex right now. Nightfall had cast everything in a new light. Much of the compound was well lit, but the light fell unevenly over the landscaped grounds. Here and there inside Ken could see the signature sign of security guards, blips on his infrared viewer, but he ignored them, looking for something they could use  
Hmmm...that's interesting. Adam was peering through his own viewer, this one picking up different frequencies.  
Ken asked, turning to the side.  
We'll have to get closer to the building to figure it out. Patamon, clear our path.  
The small mammal was aloft in a moment and the others followed along behind. They crept silently through a narrow gully formed by the need to drain water off of the structure, slowly inching their way toward the building wall. When they at last reached a small garden of short bushes in front of the building Ken and TK scrambled forward, followed by Ishiguro, Sora and Adam.  
So what's so interesting? Ken asked as they huddled in the concealing shadows near the side wall of the complex.  
Budget saving measures. The first floor windows are pretty heavily alarmed and secured and checked, but it looks like some of the higher stories may not have the same precautions. I'm going up to check the fourth floor. Hideo, spot me.  
Right on you boss. Ishiguro took the grapple gun out of the pack at his feet, walked to a place between the windows, out of general view, and fired what looked like a hooked arrow attached to a rope upwards. A moment later there was a faint metallic clang, and then Ishiguro tugged on the rope twice. Adam nodded to him, and a moment later was shimmying up the rope, one of his tool kits pulled out of his belt. Reaching the fourth floor he peered at the window nearest him from a few different angles and then extracted a handful of tools from his belt. Quickly working he inserted a few metal tools in the window itself and then, slowly, carefully he carved his way into the lock mechanism and slowly levered the window open. Turning back to the ground he gestured quickly upwards.  
Ken shrugged and worked his way up the rope. TK and Sora followed, with Biyomon and Patamon floating up, quickly moving inside of the building, finding themselves inside a forest maze of cubicles.  
Master Ishiguro pressed a button on his grapple launcher and watched calmly as the rope fell back down to him. Then he took a handful of deep breaths and launched himself upwards, jumping four stories and into room through the hole in the glass.  
You can do that? Wormmon looked shocked.  
I've been practicing. Master Ishiguro confessed.  
Are you ready to get going again? Adam asked.  
Ready and willing. TK pointed out.  
So we need an empty space. Those courtyards and roof spaces I like are mostly at this end of the complex anyway. So let's get going troops. Ken pointed onward.  
  
What's taking them so long? Tai asked, peering anxiously at the compound.  
Calm down Tai. They'll do all right. Kari tried to reassure him.  
And how do you know that? Tai asked.  
I don't. It's something I tell myself to keep myself breathing.  
  
Guards. First set. We need something to distract them. Ken reported as Patamon came back from the corner.  
Right. I think it's time we leeched them. Master Ishiguro and Adam exchanged a set of tight smiles.  
What does that mean? TK demanded.  
Watch and see. Adam grinned back at them. He pulled something out of another toolkit. This was a small pipe-like object, that in which he was placing something else. He crawled on his stomach up to the corner and took a look around. There were two guards in two different desks, one reading a magazine and one looking absent-mindedly at his computer screen. Adam raised the pipe to his lips and puffed his cheeks twice, as if blowing out two separate birthday candles.  
There were a few moments of silence and then both guards yawned and sleepily closed their eyes.  
What was that? Ken asked.  
Sleeping dart with local anesthetic, so you don't even feel it. Adam reported. It's pretty small too, so that it's hard to see. We use it all the time. Let me get them back. He crept up and stealthily removed the darts.  
Which way now? TK asked.  
Ken consulted the map. Our right. Let's go.  
  
This place is empty. Patamon complained.  
It sure is. Ken replied. Everything out there still going according to plan?  
Yeah, but I mean that there's nobody around. Nobody. I can't find a single person sitting around here anywhere. Even the security guards don't seem to be patrolling. The small mammal perched back on TK's head while Adam shrugged.  
Probably isn't that much worth stealing out here.  
And what about inside the center of the complex? Ken asked as he continued to prowl around a small outdoor yard built on the top of the fifth story, presumably as an area for short breaks. It would have been nice in the daytime, quiet trees standing in the sunlight, concrete decorations in the forms of various sculptures standing around as silent watchers, benches and gently running water in a single fountain. Now the openness just increased his nervousness.  
This is Hideo. Ishiguro's voice crackled over the D3. Sector is clear. Nobody's around today.  
Well, this was always supposed to be the easy part. TK muttered.  
Better easy than hard. Wormmon replied.  
All right, we might as well get this show on the road. Ken decided.  
  
That's our signal. Tai reported. ExVeemon, Silphymon, Angewomon, launch now!  
There was a muffled thump beneath them as they launched off the edge of the skyscraper that they had been sitting on. For a few moments they could look at the double towers of the Tokyo Metro building, and then they were soaring ever higher in the sky, black cloaks billowing against the night, but hiding their forms.  
We're guiding. Kari muttered unnecessarily into Angewomon's ear.  
I know. The angel replied gently, not wanting to alarm her passenger. Tai is keeping an eye on that.  
Are we high enough? Tai asked Izzy, who was along with them in Angewomon's arms.  
Yes. We're above the flight paths for helicopters, but still below those for airplanes.  
Then let's get in there. Tai pointed forward and Angewomon tilted her flight path until they were almost directly over the main tower.  
Izzy pointed down, concentrating on the computer screen at the same time. We have a clear landing site. Let's hit it.  
Angewomon, ExVeemon and Silphymon went into a terminal dive at that point, slamming toward the earth at impossible speeds for any human-built aircraft, coming out of their dives at the last moments. The braking gave them minimal exposure to any watchers watching from the sidelines. They hit the dirt softly though, barely wrinkling the grass.  
You guys stay digivolved. Tai ordered. You've got the strength for it now, and you never know when you're going to need to get out of here quick.  
Got it. Silphymon reported.  
Ken, what's the situation? The digidestined leader turned back to Ken.  
Good actually, something seems to be going right for a change, not like that's going to last.  
Less comments Ken, more information. What's happening? Tai focused on Ken quickly.  
Well, it seems that the inner areas aren't patrolled much. They covered Saffron Corporation's headquarters with security, but they don't have a tenth of the coverage here. I don't understand it, but it means that we have a much better chance of getting in and out undetected.  
That's good. So where are the targets?  
Well, we still want to find out about that huge basement under the main tower. It appears to be shielded from any type of scan, which makes me suspicious, and it seems like the best place to hide something. Then the main computer node appears to be near the center of the compound, in a high-security area itself. That's going to be my objective, so I'll take Izzy's team with me.  
And then I'll take TK as my guide. You up to it TK?  
You bet. TK responded.  
Adam muttered under his breath, looking around.  
What is it? Matt asked, looking around for a source of danger.  
I sometimes get premonitions, like warnings of impending danger. And I'm getting one now, but only from the tower area. I don't know what that means, but I think that it means that the mission to the underground sanctuary is in the most danger. I think Hideo and I will follow you guys.  
Tai accepted that without further comment, but some of the others looked a bit nervous.  
Let's move people. Izzy pointed at his watch. We don't have all night you know.  
  
That's strange. Tai stared through a transparent window into a room that had clearly been built for observation. The hallway they were walking down was long, empty and had the sterilized feel of a hospital or a laboratory. Inside this room, however, was something strange. A vast array of machinery lined a pit at least four stories deep, gleaming instruments monitoring some sort of ring in space in the middle.  
What is that? Agumon looked confused.  
I have a guess. TK whispered.  
Tai looked around at him.  
I think it's a Gate. A way to another world, but itit _feels_ crude and ill-built. Like they haven't a clue what they're doing. I don't think it works, whatever it is. And I don't think it goes anywhere.  
What would have happened to the people who went through? Matt asked, looking across the hall from them.  
I don't know. If they were courageous enough to send people through, anything might have happened to them.  
Something like that? Matt asked, pointing.  
Across the hall was another room opened to outside observation that they could clearly see from inside the hallway, but this one was filled with people lying on hospital-type beds. Every one of them was staring sightlessly at the ceiling, eyes open, but faces dead. From the collection of lines connecting each body to life-support systems, they were obviously having some sort of medical problems.  
Tai whispered questioningly.  
Not without some medical equipment. Adam replied softly. From the looks of it, I would say that they're brain dead.  
It seems that at least part of this experiment failed. TK stared back at the gate. But somehow I don't think they gave up on what they were trying to do.  
That wouldn't be in their character. Ishiguro agreed quietly.  
Did you look at space beside the ring? Adam asked after a moment.  
TK stared, eyes narrowed.   
Yes, it is, isn't it? Tai noticed the same thing himself. It looked like the air did next to the black asphalt of the road on a hot day, as if light was being twisted by passing through just enough to be noticed. Waves of distortion almost seemed to be spreading outwards.  
Experimenting with gravity maybe? Adam shrugged after a moment.  
What do you mean? Matt looked at all of them.  
Gravity is one of the few things that's capable of twisting light. Joe replied thoughtfully. Otherwise light always travels in a straight line.  
They all looked at him in surprise.  
He asked, a little defensively. I just read a few things.  
It's good that you do. Kari smiled, then glanced at her brother. It's good that somebody does anyway.  
Oh give it a rest. Tai complained.  
  
Izzy paused at once when Ken gestured. Ken was crawling in the middle of the hallway they had just entered. It was a corridor that looked for all the world like one of the window lined-structures that typically connected two different buildings, but this one was entirely inside. Izzy could see the upper light structures of what must have been a massive indoor storage room from his position. And from the plan there must have been several of these inside the buildings, each larger than a pair of soccer fields put together. In a way it seemed an awful waste of money, and Izzy could not understand what they were storing here.  
What is it? Yolei hissed at them. She was bringing up the rear, and stopped just behind the little knot of humans and digimon.  
I don't know. Izzy hissed back, and then Ken darted up to take a peak out of the window. For a moment Izzy felt his heart stand still with fear that he would be seen and that they would be discovered, but the dark-haired boy ducked down almost immediately. Then he crawled back to Izzy.  
You're not going to like this. He murmured.  
I have a bad feeling about this. Tentomon sighed.  
What is it? Izzy asked, ignoring his partner.  
Take a brief look down. Ken turned around to check the hallway nervously.  
Izzy stuck his head around and took a brief glimpse of what was below them. One glimpse was enough. He paled slightly and then ducked back down.  
What is it? Yolei asked impatiently. The tension was apparently beginning to eat at her ill-developed patience.  
Izzy murmured. Or some other sort of armored vehicles. Guns, weapons, a lot of things carrying them too. It doesn't look like any security force that I've ever seen.  
Gives a whole new meaning to the term corporate takeover, doesn't it? Ken asked, grinning wryly.  
You don't think that they're seriously thinking about doing something with that, do you? Japan wouldn't stand for it. Besides, what can they do with it? Cody asked, looking puzzled, worried and confused all at once.  
I don't know. Izzy shrugged. But I do know one thing. Ken was right, I don't like this at all.  
  
Hold on a moment. TK paused and walked back down the hallway they had been treading for a few minutes. It still felt like the sterilized hallway of a hospital, but it was subtly different, but just as unsettling. Still, something was bothering TK, and had to do with the rooms that they had just passed.  
What's up? Kari was at his side a moment later.  
Look at the boundaries between these two rooms for a moment. TK pointed at the rooms he was talking about.  
Kari shrugged and looked in the window in one door, and then walked down the dull white corridor to where the other door and window was. Then she whistled. That's neat.  
What is it? Tai had come up on them now.  
There's something in-between these two rooms. TK had looked in both rooms, and they looked almost unused, which was odd. All the other rooms on this floor had been full, and that had been what was bothering him. Some of them were lushly apportioned, but those were the nice ones. The othersthey looked like something out of a medieval dungeon. Some of them did, and from the devices that were within, and the _wrongness_ of the entire place, they may have been used. TK did not want to think about the people who might have found themselves in those chains and manacles, or what some of those crude cast-iron devices might be used for. But even more disturbing were the rooms that looked like something out of a modern hospital, filled with neat, orderly and sterilized shelves. Each shelf had contained dozens of instruments that none of them had wanted to think about, sharp surgical instruments, a collection of knives, batteries and cords, gruesome saws with red-stained teeth, something that looked like a collection of whips, chemical bottles of mysterious substances, tools of a trade none of them ever wanted to deal with.  
That was why these two rooms stood out in the middle of all this horror. TK suspected that nobody who worked in this section would be too curious about anything. So the reasonably simple ruse would have been enough to deter them. But now the digidestined gathered around.  
What kind of something? Tai asked.  
I don't know, but it's about the size of a hallway. TK looked around and spotted a part of the hallway that looked just a little different from the others. And it leads right there.  
Kari nodded. It looked like somebody had spent a lot of time and effort attempting to hide in plain sight something that could only be a hallway. A secret corridor, placed directly in the middle of a scene out of hell.  
Maybe it goes all the way to hell. Joe muttered, expressing team sentiment.  
Let's check it out. Tai started to dart away, but Adam grabbed him with one arm.   
The thing could be trapped. Whatever it is. Adam glanced around nervously. We're better off leaving it as a last resort.  
Tai's enthusiasm drained away.   
  
  
Izzy and Ken crouched down behind a large plant in the corridor of the building, trying to remain calm. Ahead of them they could just hear the click of boots on the tiled floor as a set of security guards passed by, shining their flashlights ahead of them while looking calmly around the office space. They passed the two cubicles hiding the rest of the digidestined and their digimon without even noticing and then walked calmly down the rest of the corridor until they disappeared out of site several hallways down.  
That was close. Ken noted.  
Not as close as it could have been. Cody appeared around a corner, smiling at them. It looks like we're clear again.  
Izzy pointed forward. There was another window onto another inner courtyard. Across from them they could see another large structure, this one almost appearing armored and connected only through several corridors to the adjacent building.  
So that's the place? Yolei squinted at it. How do we get there?  
Down that hallway over there. After that I'm still working on it.  
  
Kari, what is it? Tai's concerned face eclipsed Kari's vision as her older brother looked alarmed at her sudden near-faint.  
Something's out there. Something's calling out to me, it needs our help Tai. Kari clutched protectively at her brother's arm.  
What is it? TK's equally concerned face eclipsed Tai's for a moment.  
I don't know, but it seems to be something big. And in pain, a lot of pain. Kari tried to hang on to Tai, but TK interrupted the two of them.  
Where is it? He asked, his eyes suddenly flaming with urgency. Can you point in the direction it's coming from?  
Kari nodded and pointed in the direction that they were going.  
What's happening? Joe asked, sounding confused.  
Something's wrong with Kari. Angewomon reported anxiously.  
Not that. Something important is going on. TK leaned back. Kari told me that she had managed to enter the near regions of the Heart last time she needed the power. She may still be experiencing the influence of the guide. If that's true, she knows exactly where we need to go, and exactly what we need to do.  
How accurate is she? Mimi asked.  
She's pretty accurate. I don't think she can be wrong. TK reported. But first she has to recover enough strength to guide us.  
I can do that. Kari staggered to her feet, blinked her eyes and after a few moments took off in one direction.  
Kari, wait! You'll alert everybody. Tai scrambled after his sister.  
No she won't Tai. TK ran grimly after. She knows exactly where she's going, she can't be wrong.  
Right. I knew that. Tai still ran forward with Agumon loping after him.  
Cavalry together? Gomamon jumped on Joe's shoulder.   



	10. Busting Loose

Disclaimer: I don't own digimon. Period. Really.  
Author's Note: I can update faster. Really I can.  
  
**

Episode XXXV  
Busting Loose  
  


**_"The whole world steps aside for the man who knows where he is going."  
_Anonymous  
  
_"Great deeds are usually wrought at great risks."  
_Herodotus  
  
So, any idea how to use this? Yolei stared, lost, at the gigantic computer standing in front of her. Cross-linked data storage devices, towers of computing power, all sorts of gizmos and gadgets that she could not even name, all of them cast a shadow over her, looming uncomfortably close.  
Izzy remarked. This looks a lot like the setup at Tokyo University. I can probably break its security.  
Davis remarked. Even he looked intimidated by the monster standing in front of them. I think I'll just stand over here and wait.  
I hear you Davis. ExVeemon snorted, noting that Izzy was already completely oblivious to their presence. The two of them started muttering and moved off towards one corner.  
Yolei sighed and wandered off to another corner, where a more normal looking computer terminal stood, as well as a set of computer manuals. After a moment she realized she had been followed.  
She remarked in surprise as Ken walked up behind her. What's up? What aren't you off helping Izzy?  
I have no idea how that monster works. I barely even knew that something like that existed, so I guess that I would really be no help in trying to crack its systems. That's a lot more like Izzy's thing. I would just be in the way, so I came over to see how you were doing.  
Oh...uh...thanks. I'm doing great. There was a long period of awkward silence between the two.  
So...uh...have you been watching TK and Kari lately? Ken asked.  
_A safe topic_. Yolei thought briefly before answering. You mean that way that they never really act like they're dating.  
Yeah, they act like they're married. After all it's not like they go around and giggle and talk to each other. Ken mused thoughtfully. It's just that they sit around and talk to other people. They're just so happy that the other one is there that it nearly defies belief. I think that it's impressive. TK and Kari are so comfortable together that they don't have to go through the stages everyone else goes through. They just look so blissfully happy that it's hard not to envy them.  
For a moment Yolei felt a touch of envy, but she quickly brushed that aside. What right did she have to be envious of her friend?  
I wish I could have something like that. Ken remarked.  
Well, maybe you can some day. Yolei responded. _Of course he will_. She thought at the same time. _He's still famous Ken Ichijouji_.  
Well, I was just thinking. Yolei frowned. It sounded like his voice was shaking. She glared suspiciously.  
That is I just wanted to know...um...if you would consent to...that is if you wanted to... Ken really began to stutter.  
What is it? Yolei asked, a bit sharply.  
Well, if you wanted to go on a date with me. I mean I'll let you choose...where we go that is...and I can afford to pay for both of us...and...  
_Did Ken really just ask me on a date?_ You really want to go on a date with me Ken?  
Of course...I mean yes...I mean...you have pretty eyes you know. The boy genius was clearly trying to salvage something out of all of this.  
_Ken asked me out on a date!_ Yes, yes, of course I'll go! She almost shouted, toning down the volume at the last moment.  
You will, really? Ken sounded earnest this time.  
Of course. You are a really great guy, and so gorgeous too...did I say that? Yolei suddenly turned bright red as Ken took on a slightly poleaxed look. She was turning redder as she stammered out. Well, I usually just think that...you know, I have a lot to learn about the dating game.  
It's my first one. Ken remarked.  
Well, I'll forgive any mistakes you make. Yolei reached out a hand.  
And if you make any, I'll forgive them too. Ken reached out his own hand, and then, in a movement from another age, bowed forward and kissed hers.  
_Oh My!_ Yolei thought as the fireworks began.  
Someone began clapping behind them, and they spun around to find Davis leaning against the cubicle wall, smiling out at both of them.  
You again? Ken sounded resigned.  
He's been practicing that for two weeks now. Davis whispered to Yolei, a whisper that was clearly designed to carry over to where Ken was standing.  
Two weeks. I'm impressed. Yolei's eyes widened while Ken attempted to dissolve into the floor.  
Cody, that's fifty yen you owe me. Davis exclaimed, grinning wider.  
Don't rub it in. Cody peeked around the corner, grinning impishly.  
For what? Yolei asked suspiciously.  
On whether or not Ken would ask you, or you would ask him. Davis grinned again.  
Sorry Cody. Yolei apologized. I guess I let you down.  
Don't worry about it. It was worth it. Cody responded cheekily.  
Then, for some reason, in the middle of their enemy's fortress they broke down and started to laugh.  
  
Izzy felt the streams of knowledge begin to build again, flowing through him like a river, the tiny branches gently caressing the stored data in the data chips. He could feel himself slip like a ghost through all the defenses of the data system. Firewalls and security passwords flashed by him. This computer system was built to ward off human intruders, but with his computer and his crest Izzy was aware that he was no longer quite human, that his ability to access extra abilities made him a force to be reckoned with. He could manipulate the data, avoid the clumsy traps that were set up to stop him.  
And then he was in, floating in the endless sea of knowledge that filled the computer. Within seconds he had managed to create a steady flow, and then that knowledge was pouring through him, and then into the data banks of his computer. He let the flow continue, taking him with it, as he kept careful watch for other traps he might have missed.  
And then he really _did_ see something weird. His virtual eyes narrowed and he began to pick his way through the information stream.  
He was aware of the stillness of his corporeal body, but ignored it. For now, the knowledge was everything.  
  
They were right. Matt breathed out in something like awe. There is no God.  
If there is, we have clearly left his domain. Adam frowned, his brows bristling like a miniature thunderstorm. He was grasping the hilt of his sword, suddenly materialized out of his gear, so hard that his knuckles were whitening.  
This place gives me the creeps. Mimi admitted.  
Me too. Joe shuddered, drawing closer to her.  
What's all this doing here? TK asked, but nobody could answer him.  
They were standing in a huge room, six stories tall. In six separate tiers around the edges of the room were walkways, open to the middle so that they could see exactly what was on each level. Each level seemed to be composed of tubes, huge cylinders of plastic or glass containing a strange, sticky looking green liquid. And hanging suspended in each tube was a human body somewhere in the process of decay. Some seemed to have lost their limbs, as if they had melted away. Some were missing just an arm, or a leg. Some, strangely enough, still had their hair, even though they might be missing an ear, or a foot or some such. Some were simply strangely deformed, as if they had been warped by their storage in the liquid. Huge banks of machinery were deployed around the wall, reaching their tentacles up to seize hold of each separate tube, probing within. In some tubes at the far end it seemed that mechanical and electrical equipment had been placed so that it entered the corpses of the humans there.  
We must be in their idea of a house of horrors. Agumon muttered. The digimon seemed less effected by this, but it could be that they simply thought that this might be a human experience. But even the normally unflappable Angewomon was looking a bit spooked.  
What is this place? TK asked Kari.  
I don't know. She was almost too shocked to speak. But I'll see if I can find out.  
Carefully she advanced past the banks of complicated machinery, displaying green and red lights and reaching up to touch every tank, until she was standing at the far end. There a huge mechanical object, seemingly a pump for the green fluid, waited for her, liquid calmly flowing within. Carefully, she placed both hands on the pump and waited.  
  
This is taking too long. Ken muttered.  
How long has he been at it? Davis asked nervously, having no watch.  
About half an hour. Cody reported, still staring at Izzy.  
Well, it can't be that bad. After all, nobody's seen us yet, right? Yolei asked.  
Calm down Ken. Wormmon murmured soothingly.  
Right, we would have heard them if they had found out about us. Armadillomon tried his best to be reassuring.  
I'm still worried. Ken told them, and resumed watching Izzy sit in a trance by his computer.  
  
So what do you think this place is? Joe asked, shivering again, for the third time.  
Maybe they just wanted a place to store research items. Maybe that green junk preserves the bodies. How am I supposed to know? Adam looked nervous. All I know is that I have a bad feeling about this place.  
Destroy it. Destroy it all. A voice spoke up, a voice raw and ragged, grating on the senses, almost as if a rusty machine had been given voice. They all turned to find Kari standing there, her eyes glowing white, an expression on her face unlike anything they had ever seen before. She looked as if she was ready to rip the facility, and them, apart with her bare hands.  
Kari, what is it? Angewomon asked, alarmed.  
Destroy it all. The voice came out laboriously, as if she was having to force it out through gritted teeth, as if she was staring into the depths of a horror that they simply could not imagine.  
What is it? Tai demanded.  
Don't you understand? They did it. They succeeded. All those hours, all those experiments involving torture. They finally managed to do it. They managed to find the energies emitted by the darkness inside all of us, find it and trace it back to its source. They can use the dark energies of our own minds as a weapon to fight against us. They can use it to power machines. Machines, Tai. They took this dark energy and used it, used it to power their engines of war. They built the Titans with this.  
So this is a giant battery. Matt looked repulsed, but Kari merely laughed.  
No. The minds who generate the energy have to be alive. So they took good people, and broke them because that gives the most pure strain of darkness, as Ken well knows. And from their broken bodies and minds they extracted the energy they needed. But they needed to keep the brains alive, so they took those broken bodies and removed only the essential human organs, keeping them alive, wiring the brain into a guidance computer, using the dark energies to power their devices. Do you understand now? In each machine, in each one of these bodies writhes a human spirit, aware of what is happening to it, but powerless, unable to stop what is happening to it, wasting away under the fires of their own personal hell. Slowly going mad as the bodies they once controlled are forced to perform unbearable acts, under the commands of somebody else's will. They can do nothing! And the only way we can save them, is to destroy them.  
My God. Matt whispered.  
Adam ordered tersely.  
Tai jerked around.  
Go. Now. Adam pointed toward the exit.  
It seemed Tai was astonished by this.  
Because no matter what form these creatures are in, they are still human lives, they are still alive, and I don't want you to have to kill another human being yet. Now go.  
Someone started clapping.  
Such a touching display of compassion for your poor sensitive morals, don't you think. An image flared to life, the torso and head of a familiar figure.  
TK shouted.  
Of course, you didn't expect me. How careless of the traitor in your midst to fail to inform you that I was going to show up. He really should be more attentive to common courtesy. Khartan absently buffed his nails, already as sharp as fangs.  
Traitor. What traitor? Tai demanded angrily, red splotches coloring his cheeks.  
Oh, you haven't figured it out yet? Perhaps I overestimated you after all. Of course you have a traitor near to you. You hadn't figured it out? That is how I remain untouched by you and your pathetic plans. How else do you think I have spent all this time here and you have never once caught sight of me, in any form? You should make friends more carefully boy.  
Suddenly there was a grinding noise as something large and mechanical began to move.  
A trap! Master Ishiguro yelled, vaulting easily over Mimi and Joe's heads.  
Curse me for a fool for listening. Adam muttered, placing himself squarely in front of Tai.  
What in... Tai began, just as the first Titan units marched into the room from concealed lifts.  
The machines clearly knew that their best chance lay in getting the digidestined before their digimon could digivolve, something that they were momentarily too shocked to do. Without hesitation the two different groups of machines entering the room raised both arms and cut loose with minigun fire, aimed at sweeping the digidestined aside in a bleeding heap.  
Joe watched in amazement as Master Ishiguro, now standing between them and the machines menacing them, holding his katana in one hand, began to move. His sword rotated through his hands faster and faster until the blade was nothing more than a blur. Instants later that blur began to fountain sparks, thousands of them, as Ishiguro began to block the streams of incoming bullets. Whines and cracks resounded around him but the sword continued on its rapid path, whirling and screaming around, sending shells ricocheting all over the facility. A quick glance over Joe's shoulder revealed that Adam was doing the same thing on his side, sweat beginning to bead on his forehead.  
Tai gasped.  
Adam's voice came as if from a far distance away.  
Hey guys. Are we going to help, or are we just going to stand here? A voice interrupted from below Tai. Agumon was standing there, impatiently tapping his foot.  
  
Agumon...warp digivolve to...WarGreymon!  
Gabumon...warp digivolve to...MetalGarurumon!  
Patamon...digivolve to...Angemon!  
Palmon...digivolve to...Togemon!  
Togemon...digivolve to...Lilymon!  
I'd digivolve to, but I don't think we would all fit. Gomamon whispered.  
Now it's our turn. WarGreymon grumbled, a moment before he was hit by a thunderbolt.  
  
Virus!  
That panicked warning was the first indication that Izzy had that something was going wrong. It rushed at him out of the blue, a dark devouring beast, targeted specifically at him, trying to consume him alive. He fought back with a courage and strength born of desperation. Should that creature ever manage to corner him it would destroy everything. He understood instinctively that this was not a virus of software, that this was beyond the construction of any hacker in the world, that this was a virus that would attack the information processing ability of a human mind as easily as that of a computer. It would have devoured a normal person alive.  
But Izzy, here, in a realm composed of knowledge, was no longer confined to human resources. He threw up firewalls with a thought, burning the mass of darkness in flames that roared and snapped even at him. He blasted at it with spears of light, he created purging programs that fell upon the dark cloud and devoured segments. And then, while the virus was still busy he threw himself out of the link, and pulled his computer out with him.  
What's wrong? Sora asked quickly as Izzy, breathless and sweating, toppled to the ground.  
We're in trouble. He groaned, a moment before a smashing at the door proved him right.  
So what now? Ken asked.  
Have a problem with fighting? Izzy asked.  
Not here. Let's see if we can take these goons.  
  
Master Ishiguro swore in a language that Tai had never heard before.  
What are they? He heard Matt ask, shocked.  
Bad news. Gomamon muttered. Really bad news.  
Well, I'm sure that all of us remember Piedmon. TK muttered. So he needs no introduction, and the other guy looks bad too.  
I think I remember him. Joe repeated slowly, trying to jog his memory. From Izzy's data banks. Meet KingEtemon, the other of Etemon's many annoying evolutions. This one is gold, with an even worse wardrobe, but I don't know anything else. Talk about Deja Vu!  
I don't want to talk about it. I want to do something to it. Tai roared. Go and get him WarGreymon!  
WarGreymon and Piedmon were circling each other in the air rapidly, each trying to pin down the other as they traded punches, kicks and sword blows. KingEtemon was trying to get behind MetalGarurumon, and was having very little luck, but was managing to keep MetalGarurumon from attacking. They swarmed back and forth in the air overhead.  
Adam asked through gritted teeth.  
Oh, right. Flower Cannon! A blast of green-white energies coursed through the first Titans, sending them sprawling. Angewomon raised her arms, and a shield of pink energies settled down around them, protecting them temporarily from incoming bullets. As the bullets began to bounce off of the pink field, Adam lowered his sword temporarily, panting hard.  
Bought us a moment. TK stepped up. So now what?  
There was a thunderous roar, and then the shield buckled under several different cannon shots. Angewomon winced just a little as she balanced the shield out.  
Not much of a respite. Adam noted as the shield rocked again. Now what?  
  
WarGreymon danced with his opponent. He was feeling exhilaration here, and knew that Tai could feel it too. Unlike the last time he had fought this digimon, even if it was not the same one, he felt different, more confident. Here he knew the steps, and his opponent did not. Here he remembered how to avoid the thrusts, the blows, the sudden attacks. Piedmon was a powerful opponent, but he could handle the overgrown clown.  
There was a flash of purple in the air, and then MagnaAngemon floated into view out of the corner of WarGreymon's eyes. This fight was in the bag.  
  
Bane asked, rasping.  
Khartan confirmed with a slight smile.  
  
As the room suddenly crackled with lightning, TK realized that something was wrong. There was a moment when the fight paused, and then, with a sharp jerk a damping field arose and the powers of the digimon outside of Angewomon's barrier were jerked from them. He could feel the shock as they de-digivolved to rookie, could feel the invisible clouds of energy trying to get away, and grabbed onto them as best as he could, reaching out with hands not made of matter, and grounded the escaping strands sharply.  
Tai screamed as his skin exploded in fire. He felt different, like there was a storm riding in his blood, trying to rip him apart from the inside out. Fires he had never felt before roiled in his stomach, and it felt like his blood was beginning to boil. He needed to control it, it was new, foreign. Out of the corner of his eye he could barely make out that Matt was also writhing on the floor in torment. He opened his mouth to scream, but his lungs were convulsing too much to make it work.   
Slowly, ever so slowly, the pain resided, but the unfamiliar fires still raged inside. He forced himself to focus through them, at the appalled faces of his companions, at the strangely detached face of his sister.  
He clutched spasmodically at the smooth floor, and his fingers ripped up five centimeter steel plate like aluminum foil.  
Tai. Matt. Kari's voice came as if from a long way away, floating on a sea of calm in the middle of the chaos. TK has given you another chance. He has taken the energy from your failing digimon, and given it to you. I don't know how long this will last, but for now you have the power of Mega level digimon. You alone have the power to save us. You have to concentrate.  
Tai felt his mind respond to her words, and forced the energies out of his head, and down into his arms. He vaguely wondered what he was supposed to do as he staggered upright when he was passed by a golden bullet. TK, glowing with the inner fire of MagnaAngemon, surrounded by a golden aura, shot past him like a meteor, springing lightly through the shield, just as Piedmon approached. There was a moment where shock was evident on the Mega's face just before TK kicked him in the stomach. Piedmon doubled over and was thrown backwards with such force that he left a crater in the nearest wall.  
What are we waiting for? Matt growled, having finally regained his feet.  
Tai threw himself forward, straight at where Piedmon was getting up. He stopped halfway through in shock as he realized what kind of power he had, because the jump he had started was hurtling him through the air faster than he could have ever imagined. He barely had time to bring up his elbow as a shield before slamming into Piedmon. The clown's face, closer to Tai then the original had ever gotten, contorted in sudden pain, as the powerful Mega leaned over.  
Get clear Tai. This guy is all mine. You two get golden boy. TK interrupted Tai's reverie and the leader of the digidestined jumped back, more controlled this time, just in time to miss being skewered by TK's palm as it smashed into the underside of Piedmon's chin.  
Matt was already there, instincts spawned by a year in the digital world giving him an advantage over a digimon who clearly was not expecting to meet someone his equal. He was always circling behind the befuddled monkey, kicking him from behind, sending him sprawling. Judging from the face that KingEtemon was making, the giant ape really did not enjoy this.  
You dirty stinkin' cheater. Well, I'll learn you. Monkey Wrench!  
A globe of blue and red fire gathered in KingEtemon's outstretched hand and then shot after the rapidly dodging Matt. But this attack appeared to have a mind of its own, it chased Matt down no matter how high he jumped or how well he ducked, changing direction in midair.  
Matt swore as he leapt out of the way again. Something was building in him, gathered by instinct, something primal and unfettered. He could feel it come and then, as the ball of fire changed course yet again his instincts flared, and he let it out.  
Both of his hands extended and he could feel power build in them, releasing halos of blue fire. For a moment it felt like he was holding ice, a solid block of it, but the intense cold was not even touching him. He could barely feel it. And then he triggered the right nerve and...  
Metal Wolf Claw! A blast of blue ice slammed forward and caught the incoming ball of fire head on. There was a flare of white light, and then Matt was still standing, a large scorch and freeze mark on the ground the only evidence of the attack.  
Joe's eyes were wide.  
Well, why not? Tai asked rhetorically. He took advantage of KingEtemon's momentary surprise to zoom forward again, skimming the ground at tremendous speed. KingEtemon had barely registered Tai's presence when Tai, concentrating as hard as he could on images from his past, grew closer. He focused his power down into one arm and yelled out:  
Mega Claw!  
At first it seemed as though nothing would happen. Then, as he ducked under and came up with an uppercut there was a red-gold flare and the faint image of a huge set of claws appeared for a moment, a faint image of energies beyond Tai's comprehension, but they still glimmered as the light bounced off of them. The claws slammed into KingEtemon just below his head, throwing his head upward as they sunk in. He yelled in pain before focusing on Tai.  
King Monkey Kick!  
A kick like a tornado came at Tai. He crouched down and immediately thought _Shield_. With hardly a sound the huge metal shield that WarGreymon normally wore on his back slammed closed in front of him, deflecting the oncoming attack. The blast still blew him backward, sending him sliding along the floor like a hockey puck, but only stray light penetrated around the shield.  
Looks like we're still here. Tai murmured.  
  
TK stood and fenced with his opponent. Piedmon had haunted his dreams long enough for him to remember every feature, every tilt of the cruel face. Now he was fighting back, for the first time on the same level. Piedmon had two of his swords out, one in each hand. TK had his own sword, MagnaAngemon's purple blade blazing in one hand, its edge raging with fire against its old foe. Fortunately for TK the blade, which had no handle, merely needed to respond to his willpower, hovering a short distance from his hand, turning there at his command.  
Piedmon came around and TK could feel him coming. Every sense was heightened, every ability stretched beyond its maximum. He felt alive, and he moved with the fluid grace of the superhuman.  
_High blow_. Piedmon's first blow bounced off of the horizontal blade.  
_Low sweep_. The second sword tried to sneak in, but the purple blade cut down and slammed it away again.  
_High backspin_. The first sword came around again, aiming to decapitate on the end of a spin. Piedmon stopped in shock as TK countered, blade slashing backwards, letting Piedmon bounce back so his side was exposed.  
_Take back the initiative_. The purple blade blazed in, slicing just below the ribs. Piedmon jerked back, screaming in pain.  
_Take advantage of his distraction_. High jump, 180-degree jump spin sidekick, slamming into the back of Piedmon's head.  
_Now he counterattacks, and I move_.  
Trump Sword! The blades shot out, but TK was not there anymore, leaping skyward, and then descending with his blade held in strike position. Piedmon managed to get his own up barely in time.  
CRUNCH. The two warriors collided. Purple fire and red flames blazed at the point of their impact. TK and Piedmon bounced out in different directions, the digimon slamming into a wall, TK splaying himself onto the floor.  
_Full attack_.  
Clown Trick! TK dodged aside as the blast of distorted space came by him.  
_Downward strike_. Piedmon slammed his sword down like a hammer where TK should have been but he was already dodging to the side.  
_Counterspin_. Piedmon spun towards TK. TK easily ducked the blow of the leading sword, but only the presence of his own blade held parallel to Piedmon above his head allowed him to avoid being decapitated.  
_Downward strike_. Piedmon's second blade came around, clearly meaning to spit TK where he was, but TK was singing his way skyward, floating in the air, twisting just enough that all the sword did was cut a piece off of his hat.  
_Look into my eyes Piedmon. When I was eight years old we fought each other for the first time. That time I was terrified of you, but you aren't that one, you aren't the one I was scared of, merely another wearing the same body. I have no fear of you, and I do not intend to allow you to escape this battlefield.  
_ TK spun in midair, his sword coming around like a glowing scythe. There was not even a sound as it impacted, and then it was through any resistance. TK landed heavily, but remained standing and looked down at the object at his feet.   
It's over. You don't scare anyone anymore.  
Piedmon's decapitated head stared at him for a moment before dissolving into digital data.  
  
The roof of the computer center exploded upwards. Something rose out of it. Something huge. MegaKabuterimon, roaring in rage, the digidestined on his back, moved skywards as the Titan units that had come to stop them were thrown aside like bowling pins.  
Who says size doesn't matter? ExVeemon asked.  
What say we get out of here. Armadillomon suggested.  
We have to wait for the others. Izzy shouted back.  
Well then I suggest... Silphymon began.  
What are those? Yolei pointed at a set of lights behind them.  
Knowing our luck, probably bad news. Sora responded, peering at them.  
Suddenly there was the sound of machine gun fire. A set of brilliantly colored tracers flamed from the incoming lights. Most of the shots missed, but a few bounced off of MegaKabuterimon's hide.  
They're shooting at us! Stingmon exclaimed from where he was holding Ken.  
No kidding. Really? Davis asked, ducking behind ExVeemon.  
Get us out of here Izzy. Cody ordered.  
We have to help the others though. MegaKabuterimon, evasive maneuvers. Izzy snapped to his companion.  
Evasive maneuvers, right. MegaKabuterimon fired up, and blasted off, a moment later shooting towards the nearest other tower.  
How do you do evasive maneuvers with something as big as a skyscraper? Davis asked.  
  
Matt struck again. He was unused to this, and KingEtemon was fast recovering from his surprise at facing mega level humans. But Matt was striking with determination, depending on his feet and his fists more then he depended on MetalGarurumon's attacks. He still had not figured out the best way to trigger them, and was too worried about getting caught off guard. But this time the Mega seemed unaffected, and Matt was flung back violently.  
Monkey Wrench! He threw his next attack, another globe of fire.  
Metal Wolf Claw! Matt responded, and the familiar cold blast stopped the attack in its tracks, but beyond that did nothing.  
KingEtemon rushed forward in an attempt to slam down his fist on the top of Matt's head.  
Matt. Out of the way! Tai barreled through, tossing Matt out of the way. The blow of KingEtemon's fist on the ground sent them both sprawling.  
We aren't doing too well here Tai. Matt noted.  
I sort of noticed this. How about a new plan?  
I'd settle for a plan at all. Matt shook his head to clear it.  
We hit him both at the same time with everything we've got? Tai suggested.  
If that's the best plan we've got, why not?  
They rushed him as one. Matt, his fists suddenly flaming blue jumped over the surprised ape's first blow and pounded him on the head. Tai stood back, gathering energy in a giant ball over his head and threw it.   
Terra Force! The blast knocked KingEtemon over, sending him flying, just in time for Matt to slam him in the back of the head with both fists as he passed.  
Well, he's not getting away. Tai lifted WarGreymon's shield in both hands and, just as KingEtemon was regaining his feet, send it skidding over the floor. KingEtemon tripped as it slammed into his shins, and fell slowly downward. And then Tai was there.  
His right arm flamed with red-gold energies, playing up and down his arm, blazing like the sun. The glowing interplay of those same fires lit up the entire room, and then he felt the now familiar claw encase his arm.  
Mega Claw! He screamed, and thrust the sharpened talons directly up into KingEtemon's stomach. KingEtemon stared down at him once, and jerked convulsively, openeing his mouth as if he was going to vomit. And then he screamed once and dissolved into spray of digital data.  
Matt was there a few moments later. In time to see Tai's eyes widen with sudden horror as he realized that he had finally killed a living being.  
  
This is nuts. Yolei claimed, sitting on ImperialDramon's hard shell. The digidestined had finally transferred to ImperialDramon, reasoning that his glowing shield would be better able to protect them then MegaKabuterimon's bare back. Now the two huge digimon flew through the skyscrapers of Shinjuku, each of them with a small fleet of helicopters behind them. Ken could catch a glimpse of them from time to time, glowing gnats, spraying out bullets in a steady stream.  
Sure, but I don't have a better idea. Davis yelled back.  
Still no word from Tai? Cody screamed back over the roar of another machine gun salvo.  
Ken returned. I don't know what he's doing.  
  
Adam grunted as his sword swung, and he split a Titan unit straight up the middle. Joe had been watched, flabbergasted, as the two Helios trained humans, unburdened by the necessity of protecting the others almost effortlessly destroyed the Titan units. The merely flashed through the enemy's defenses, avoiding gunfire, and then those long, sparkling swords sliced through composite armor like it was not even there. Shards of armor spat across the floor like bullets, as massive machine units collapsed in heaps. But the huge collection of tortured beings in the walls was still untouched.  
This isn't working. Mimi remarked to Joe.   
We need a new plan. Palmon responded.  
Look. Tai, Matt and TK won! Gomamon exclaimed, but even as he did there was another explosion to the side and a huge MetalSeadramon crawled through a new gap into the building.  
Okay, now this is nuts! Joe exclaimed. They can't win against all of them.  
They don't have to. They have done their job. Kari spoke from behind them, her voice possessing an unearthly quality. She was glowing now, pure white, her hair waving in an unseen wind. She seemed not to be standing on Earth anymore and her eyes were narrowed, something the calm girl rarely did. Fire burned inside of her of its own accord, and the faint flames were seen outside.  
Angewomon floated serenely behind her human partner, wings stilled, perfectly calm and straight. She seemed to be concentrating on something so hard they could almost hear it.  
Even beings as tortured as this hold out their own hope. Even fallen angels may look upon the Light and know of its glory. There are powers in this world, and in all others, that exceed the might of any power you might know of here, powers that are stirring. They call out that this wrong must be righted. They call out that there must be light here, and that this light must shine beyond all efforts of the darkness to shield it. They say that what was wrong here must never happen again.  
I am Hikari Kamiya, seeker, guide, appointed guardian of the Gate of Stars, a bearer of the Light, and I say NO MORE! On those last two words her voice rose to a tempest, and like a tempest the room around them started to shudder. It was almost as if the building itself was shuddering, trying to raise itself, rising like a slumbering giant, waking from a century's long sleep. The room seemed to twist and rise in anger, and then, in something that started so faint that ever after Joe wondered if he had only imagined it, Light began to radiate from the cylinders holding those twisted remnants of bodies. Light, a steady beam of it, gradually growing, gaining strength, getting stronger, faster, more powerful. It rose in strength, until the room seemed to shake with it. Kari, her eyes closed, shook with it to, the Child of Light being battered by unseen forces like a boat in the storm, but Joe could feel her willpower unabated.  
Angewomon de-digivolved into Gatomon, the light from the de-digivolution adding to the growing cloud gathered around Kari. All combat had stopped as the watchers could only stare in wonder at the shining beacon. Then Kari's eyes opened.  
Symphony of Light!  
For a moment two great wings rose from Kari's back, gleaming white constructs, covered with delicate white feathers, transparent but somehow very, very real. They glowed against the background until they seemed to be the only reality left. Spreading across the world like the stars across the sky as the sun set, they were almost the only thing that they could see after a moment, so bright was their glare. And in the midst of the sparkling madness, hanging like a small ornament in the middle of a million blinking Christmas lights, Kari hung, now several meters off the ground, her eyes pale and unfocused.  
And then, just for a second, every feather stood out in wonderful detail. And then they shot out, a million different projectiles, turning into unstoppable spears the moment they left her wings. Every tank in the room exploded under those piercing impacts. Every Titan unit toppled lifelessly to the ground as that Light sought out their living components and granting them one final wish, freedom. MetalSeadramon writhed under the onslaught, eventually exploding into digital data. The room was bathed in light. And then it was gone, and Kari, pale and exhausted, dropped to the ground.  
  
What was that? Izzy gasped as the flare of light blasted through half the city like a rogue star.  
Apparently a big blast of light. Armadillomon noted sarcastically.  
Never mind. Something big's going on back there. Ken squinted, trying to see through the sudden spots hanging in front of his eyes.  
All around ImperialDramon! Davis screamed, and ImperialDramon spun on his axis and headed back to the compound.  
  
So how do we get out? Tai asked loudly.  
Well, there is a sizeable hole in the ceiling. Matt pointed out sarcastically. We could go out that way.  
Well, that's just wonderful. Tai murmured. Shall we get going?  
Sure thing. How? Joe asked.  
Just then the entire ceiling blasted open and ImperialDramon and MegaKabuterimon appeared, lowering themselves down to earth, slowly and carefully.  
Everyone on the big guy! TK pointed, holding Kari in his arms, and then a blue light descended upon them, and the next moment they were standing in ImperialDramon's protective bubble.  
Get us out of here! Tai shouted, but the two digimon were already on their way.  
Where's Adam? TK asked after a second, counting the people in the luxurious containment field.  
He stayed behind. Said something about wanting to check out the rest of the complex. Master Ishiguro replied, staring behind them.  
Hang on! Izzy yelled as they revved to full power.  
Tai asked, and then a furious bloom of fire exploded against the blue force field.  
What was that? Matt asked as they staggered sideways.  
Izzy muttered quietly, trying to direct them out of this mess.  
Missiles? Who's shooting missiles at us? Tai screamed.  
Cody pointed. Tai turned around just in time to see the flitting helicopter gunships close in on them again.  
Oh crud. Mimi muttered.  
Diversionary tactics. MegaKabuterimon, ditch us, try to draw some of them off, and then turn into Tentomon and lose them. ImperialDramon, let's find out how good you can maneuver out there in the city. Tai commanded.  
MegaKabuterimon peeled off, and just about half the helicopters turned to follow him.  
Gunfire splattered against ImperialDramon's blue shield, but the massive mega turned to avoid it, suddenly executing a right turn that made him stand up on his side, arcing around a skyscraper, and then plunge toward the ground, diving back up only at the last moment, banking sharply to fit between another set of skyscrapers. Several helicopters got lost, but others still managed to follow the massive Mega, even through all those maneuvers.  
Blast it. We need a way out. Davis muttered as more gunfire splattered against their protective shield.  
We've got it. Izzy suddenly smiled. We've just been waiting around to see whether or not these guys needed any help. ImperialDramon, head for the ocean.  
Ocean it is. ImperialDramon grumbled.  
Gomamon asked. How will that help us?  
As soon as you get into line of sight, go to the speed of sound. It'll be loud, but I bet those helicopters won't be able to catch us. We can skim back to Odaiba after we get out of sight.  
One sonic boom coming up. ImperialDramon suddenly made a hard left and shot forward at incredible speed, leaving the helicopters floundering hopelessly in his wake.  
Why didn't we think of that earlier? Ken asked, laughing, as they made their way back to Odaiba.  
We'll think about that tomorrow. Tai slapped everyone on the back, one by one. The exhilaration of having escaped, the sudden joy, the release of pent up tension, all of it changed to sudden laughter. They were now all laughing, hugging each other in joy. Sora and Matt kissed, in the middle of much jeering from the audience, and not even this could keep Tai's spirits down.  
  
The next day the first digidestined died.  



	11. First Blood

Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon. It is a licensed product, and I have no rights to it.  
Author's Note: I need to apologize, especially to Ella and Sparrow9, for giving a misleading cliffhanger at the end of the last episode. On re-reading it was really a stupid thing to dodon't kill me? Hope you enjoy anyways.  
-dA  
  
**

Episode XXXVI  
First Blood  


**  
_"What we have done for ourselves alone dies with us; what we have done for others and the world remains and is immortal."_   
-Albert Pike  
  
  
_"A man who won't die for something is not fit to live."_   
-Martin Luther King, Jr.  
  
  
Her name, the article said, was Estrella Rodriguez, born, January 22nd, 1991, died yesterday afternoon, April 20th, 2004. She was a native of Argentina, of the city of Buenos Aires, a young woman who wanted to grow up to become a veterinarian living in the countryside. She had received her digimon only a few weeks after the great battle with MaloMyotismon. She had been crushed to death beneath a shower of rubble as that selfsame digimon attempted to support a collapsing hospital, damaged in an attack by dark digimon. The digimon had not survived the attempt.  
They had died heroes, the article said, its words reprinting in cold, unfeeling accuracy the suffering of a family for a lost daughter, the loss of a loved one. She had died giving those children and injured adults enough time to escape the hospital. She had saved dozens of lives with her efforts. But she had died nonetheless.  
The digidestined stood around the computer terminal in a semi-circle, and mourned one of their own.  
  
Michael called. He had thrown himself furiously into the business of being field commander of Team Eagle with a military frenzy that made even the most tolerant Eagle occasionally roll their eyes. Nobody was rolling their eyes now. All twenty current active members stood solidly at attention, the entire contingent of the New York digidestined squadron staring straight ahead and trying not to see. They had some traditions already, but they had never, in their heart of hearts, thought that they would need a tradition for this.  
They stood in front of a wall that had previously been emptied, now holding only row after row of display cases. Michael fervently hoped that none of those cases would be required, but if they were...he let the thought trail off into nothing and continued with their improvised ceremony.  
Present the image. He called out, inwardly cursing himself for his lack of imagination concerning his lack of imagination, but image described it adequately.  
Willis marched forward, silently, solemnly, his two digimon following him, holding a plaque inscribed with the image of the Argentinean girl and her digimon, both with dates, and a brief description of how they had died.  
Sound off. Michael ordered.  
Willis began to speak, solemnly and quietly, but rising with every syllable, until the volume of his voice crashed like a great crescendo over the listening audience, about how young Estrella had died, sacrificing her life for many. By the time his monologue had ended there was no dry eye remaining among the listeners.  
Michael ordered. Willis turned around mutely and held the plaque up until he fitted it into its slot in the wall. And there it stood, a constant reminder that they had already lost one of their own.  
Michael barked, and they all turned and saluted the object on the rightmost wall, a copy of the flag of Argentina that Phil had obtained from his mother's clothing shop  
Michael gave the final order, and the people in front of him came out of attention, but they did not leave the room, concerned, they clustered together.  
  
The candle blew itself out. Rosa and the other digidestined with her rose to their feet, watching, waiting for the next candle to be lit.  
  
In a dozen places around the world digidestined saluted one already fallen. Great events were already starting to move.  
  
Willis, our organization sucks. Izzy noted over the phone.  
Tell me about. Well, we have some at least. Anyway, I'll try and get on that right away. I'll let you get back to work.  
You too. Willis could hear Izzy disconnect the internet videophone.  
So what's up? Michael was standing right next to him, and next to him was Catherine, brought in specifically for the occasion by Michael's father on their personal airplane, along with Sonja from Moscow.  
Where's Rosa? Lou asked, coming in the door, Gotsumon trailing behind. I thought she was coming too.  
Not going to make it. Some problems down by Mexico City, she's a little busy. Willis responded.  
So what's up? And why the special meeting session? Michael asked, looking dubiously around Willis' room in the top of the Aerie.  
As Izzy has reminded me, I am the senior member of the Inderdimensional Expeditionary Force in this room, correct? Willis looked around. Michael and Lou looked completely mystified by that announcement, but both Catherine and Sonja nodded.  
So, we're having a group meeting? Catherine surmised.  
What are you guys talking about? Michael asked.  
You mean you don't know? Sonja spoke up.  
No they don't. Willis confirmed. We thought it best that they didn't know what was going on. But we've decided to tell them, because we've just had some bad news.  
Michael asked again.  
How bad? Lou interrupted.  
Bad. Really bad. The reason you're all here is obvious. Sonja is field second for the Moscow team, the core members of which have already seen combat against several groups of marauding insect-class digimon in the western regions of Server, coming out of those blasted mountains. She also is the IDEF's coordination for Eastern Europe. Catherine is the coordination officer of the European Legion, as well as field leader of the Paris element. To our knowledge the Paris element has already overcome a rogue Drimogeomon on File Island, a team of Golemon near the Modem islands, and were the ones behind the unseating of the Lord Bakemon near the File Island end of Server. The Rome, London and Frankfurt teams are also combat capable, and the European Legion as a whole was actually deployed against MetalTyrannomon in the apocalypse back on Server.  
Team Eagle I'm sure needs no introduction. We are the most experienced of all the digidestined teams with the exception of Odaiba's A team. Michael commands the first field element, a team which has seen combat throughout New York, as well as during the MaloMyostismon affair, and throughout the Digital World, culminating in our takedown of the Enigma on Server. With the exception of Odaiba we are the only group to have contact with a crest. We're large enough that we have two trained field elements. I serve as strategical advisor, and Lou here leads our second field element, known now as the Falcons. Willis grinned at that. We've been training as cadres to add other digidestined to our ranks, but it's time to start planning.  
What are you all talking about? Michael demanded again.  
Well old friend, let me tell you a story. Willis grinned and leaned back in his chair. A story about this crazy idea...  
When he finished both Michael and Lou's jaws were hanging open.  
So that's what you've been hiding. And no wonder. Lou muttered.  
So now the question is, what are we going to do with Izzy's latest bombshell? Willis asked.  
  
They were waiting. Izzy pointed out. Waiting for us. And they tagged us but good. All the details were kept away from us. I've analyzed the data that they gave us, and all it is is a demonstration of the methods they used to break people down and make them into the inhuman monsters they became. Despite my reluctance to trust Khartan's observations, we may indeed have a traitor in our midst.  
So that's why we're meeting here? Davis gestured at the empty classroom.  
Yep. I'm pretty sure that there might only be one, and I know that it isn't any of us. The digidestined are way beyond reproach in this. So the question is, which one of our allies is it? Izzy looked puzzled.  
Suspecting our friends won't get us anywhere here. Kari interrupted, judging the faces and moods in the room, and especially the way her brother looked. What else can you tell us?  
I don't think Utopia understood how dangerous it was to let me into their computer systems. Izzy pointed at his screen. I managed to tap into their email database.  
Which one? Ken asked, looking interested.  
Their common email base, the one they use for corporate information, nothing of interest to us.  
Ken sunk back down, staring out the window again.  
But I don't think they realize how thoroughly I had been surveying them over the past few days. It wasn't much, but I was able to match their emails with ones they had sent through their servers.  
Yolei turned around from where she had been staring at Ken.  
What does that mean? Palmon asked from a corner.  
Something important. Tentomon replied flippantly.  
It means that I got lucky. I managed to break their normal encryption system. That gave me enough information to crack their most secure cyphers, because they base them all on the same numbering system.  
Really, what kind? Ken asked.  
Well, the original is off a series of prime numbers and their products, but they managed to vary it by...  
Gabumon coughed.  
Oh right. Izzy cleared his throat and looked embarrassed. Sorry about that.  
That's okay Izzy. Sora smiled at him.  
Anyway, what I meant to show is that their email system indicates that something important is happening, something really big and important, and whatever it is, it's scheduled for the twenty-second.  
The twenty-second as in the day after tomorrow? TK asked, shocked.  
Yes. And whatever it is, it's big. They've become a mad hive of activity, sending out important emails all over the world. If I hadn't broken their codes I wouldn't even be able to tell you this much, but since I have, it's pretty obvious. Whatever it is, they're going to try and take us all unprepared. And whatever they're going to hit us with, is going to be big.  
How big? Matt asked.  
I don't know. Izzy responded. And I don't think we will until it flattens us.  
  
What did you want me to see? Ken asked quietly after Izzy had gotten the two of them alone.  
Izzy pointed at a diagram that had appeared. It was a huge room, and there was a twisting and hard to define _something_ hanging in the middle of it.  
What the hell is that? Ken looked confused.  
That's what I wanted _you_ to tell _me_. Izzy did not particularly sound happy. But it appears to be another one of those projects that Utopia has been working on for some time.  
Any luck figuring out anything? Ken asked as he stared at it.  
It's heavy. The object there could not seem to figure out whether it was a ring or a sphere and kept twisting and shimmering in the light.  
How heavy? Ken inquired as he stared at it again. It was only about a meter in diameter, whatever it was.  
They've apparently found a way of channeling human emotion into some sort of repulsion field, a hundred times more powerful than any jet we've ever been able to manufacture, but this is ridiculous. They must have banks of jarred humans keeping that thing from collapsing, because according to there own power figures, that thing's about a hundred thousand kilotons.  
That much?! Ken exclaimed. In a structure that small, rotating that fast?  
Izzy replied morosely.  
I think I know what it is then. Ken replied after a while.  
Izzy looked surprised.  
If they blow away the outer mass, I bet they can compress about a hundredth of the mass inwards, collapsing it. Ken stared at the object in apprehension.  
All right, you could force a collapse using the angular momentum and gravitational potential to your advantage or something like that. But thenit would cross the threshold, rotating faster and faster and Izzy's eyes got very wide. They also got very disturbed.  
So what are they going to do with a black hole? Ken asked himself.  
  
Are you all right Tai? That voice was unmistakable. Takeru Takaishi stood right behind the brunette as he stared listlessly at the ground.  
No, of course you're not all right. TK answered his own question before Tai or anyone else could. The only other people there, Kari and Agumon, merely stared. You've just had to take a life. Yourself, with your bare hands. It's a new experience, isn't it, having killed something, having taken a life yourself, with your own power. It's not quite the same as seeing Agumon vanquish someone, is it? You've killed a digimon now, killed one yourself. And suddenly you're doubting yourself, whether or not you should have, whether or not you're still worthy to be leader. Whether or not everyone thinks you're a monster.  
TK sat next to Tai and took Kari's hand tenderly in his own. He took Tai's shoulder in his other, squeezing carefully.  
Do you know why you're the leader Tai? You're the leader because we trust in you, in your decisions, and even if you don't always make the right ones, you make the best ones you can. Nobody thinks ill of you because you had to kill someone who was threatening all of our lives, because your hands now have blood on them. Maybe it was a horrible thing you did, but it was the best option you had, to save us, to save us all.  
You're upset about Sora too, aren't you? I mean, it's almost like you lost her, and Matt got her, even though he gets all the girls. It's upsetting, but that's not the real reason you're upset is it? You still don't know if you really wanted her, if you could have had her, and you don't know if you had her if she would be good for you, do you? You have to find yourself though before you can find anything else, right? I mean, after all, it's up to you to straighten out your own emotions before you can even think about straightening out the emotions of other people. And you haven't decided yet. So go out and find yourself. If you really are right for her, she will come to you.  
But that's all you have to do, see? Find yourself. You're afraid because, as leader, you risk our lives on a daily basis, but we trust you. Why? Because in the end Tai, you are you. You can't be anyone else. We all know who you are and we trust you. All you have to do is trust yourself. And once you know who you are, you win.  
TK stood up and calmly walked away, leaving the three others behind. Kari was suddenly alarmed to realize that her brother was crying again.  
What is it Tai? She reached out to him, and he grasped her hand roughly.  
That boy...that boy...I never thought I would say this. Tai gasped out through his tears, and his sudden laughter. But if you ever let him get away...I might strangle you myself.  
Kari suddenly laughed and hugged her brother all at once, and, even if all was not right with the world, it was better.  
  
Something's bugging me Izzy. Ken sat back and looked at the ceiling.  
Izzy asked, barely paying attention.  
Ken looked around to make sure that they were alone before replying. Do you remember what I said after the Enigma incident?  
You said a lot of things. Half of them were swear words. You'll have to be more precise than that if you want a coherent answer.  
The part about how the IDEF seemed overly complicated.  
Oh. That. Yeah, as I recall you were pointing out that the core contingents seemed to be covering even the biggest emergencies fairly well. You didn't see the need for Gennai to impose the operating structure of the IDEF in such a complicated manner. Correct?  
Yes. Well, I've come to an interesting conclusion.  
Prodigious. Do tell.  
This is the big one, right? The one we've been waiting for since Gennai gave us that speech. That means that the two years since then have been building up to this one moment. We've had two years to assemble digidestined, and that's the whole job of the IDEF. Right?  
Okay. I'm following you so far. Izzy replied.  
The kind of power we're dealing with right now is so great that we're talking about city-destroying level. If everything went even partially according to plan, we might be dealing with a force equal to that deployed by any nation. So what is Khartan planning that's this big? Ken looked so anxious that Izzy was half afraid he was going to have a fit.  
I don't know. I don't think any of us will know until it's too late.  
Who's forming the core contingents? Ken asked.  
Izzy ticked numbers off on his fingers. Team Eagle of course, the European Legion, the Australian Avengers, the Moscow Blizzard, the Aztecs and the LA Thunderbirds probably. They're the premiere groups, but the truth is that besides us Team Eagle is the only other team that can field firepower to match an Ultimate. I have truly no idea what the IDEF is going to be dealing with out there. And without that, I can't really plan ahead.  
All right. I don't like it, but I have to accept it. One last question. Do we tell Tai?  
No. You saw him. He's unbalanced enough already. Besides, I still don't know how dangerous this is. We may not need this at all.  
We'll find out, won't we?  
  
  
Hey blockhead! Davis groaned as his sister's voice caught up with him. Where have you been?  
Out saving the world. Davis stuck his tongue out in his sister's general direction, trying to avoid the question and answer session.  
Fine then you little snot! Jun yelled as he disappeared into his room. Be that way then.  
Davis shouted back as he slammed the door behind him and collapsed onto his bed. Veemon popped out of his backpack almost as soon as he set it down.  
Your sister's starting to suspect something. Veemon noted as he attempted to extricate himself from the backpack.  
I know. Hopefully we won't have to keep this hidden from her much longer. Davis moaned. All this is giving me a headache.  
Maybe you should eat some chocolate ice cream. That's what Yolei always does. And if you do, you should get some for me.  
  
Professor Takenouchi? Professor Takenouchi looked up as his name was called. Takei was standing at the door, looking extremely worried.  
What is it Takei? The Professor pushed his chair back, temporarily ignoring the piles of paperwork on his desk.  
We have new orders. You're too valuable to be endangered. We're getting you out of the city. Takei did not look comfortable with this at all.  
I can't. All the work is here...all the equipment...I'm not going to be valuable at all if you don't let me do my job. Professor Takenouchi protested.  
Right now, it might not matter. If it helps you to know, our orders are nearly universal. Every bloody Helios agent we have is either on their way out of the city, or getting there.  
What about those in the police and the army?  
They promised to stay and do their duty. Honestly, I don't know what we're going to be up against, but...well...you know how it is.  
And my family? Professor Takenouchi asked.  
We're getting your wife out. Your daughter...well...let's just say that it will be difficult at best. My orders were very specific. One digidestined in Tokyo may make all the difference. We're leaving her here.  
Very well. I don't have to like it, but I certainly understand. Let me talk to Jim for a moment. Professor Takenouchi leaned outside his office to see Jim standing by the coffee pot, reading a thick report.  
What's up Jim?  
Well, we've pretty much run through all the data we can. We're still trying to analyze that disruption field effect though. The best guess we have right now is that the energy that the human mind imparts to them enhances some sort of Electromagnetic aura. Anyway this field, which has some sort of disruptive effect jams up all complicated electronics. I'm not really sure how it works though. Or what causes it.  
Jim. It looks like I'm going away for a few days. Can you handle the lab?  
Seeing as how we're getting no new samples, I'm sure we can. Activity is dying down around here anyway, so we're back to running standard tests on all the old samples. Nothing exciting is going to happen, so you've probably picked a good time to leave. So, where're you going anyway?  
I think I'm going to take a nice trip to the country with my wife. See the rest of Japan. You know, that sort of thing. Anyway, it should just be for a few days, so make sure everything runs according to schedule, right?  
No problem Prof. Jim responded, and walked away, still reading the paper in his hands.  
  
Gee TK, maybe I should be suspicious. You usually aren't this generous when I tell you I'm going to be gone for a while. Nancy Takaishi looked very surprised.  
Well, I guess I'm getting used to it. Inwardly TK winced at how lame the excuse sounded, even to him, but his mother did not seem that suspicious.  
Now, I want you to promise. Absolutely no late night parties with your friends while I'm gone. You can take care of yourself, and cook your own dinner and such, so I have no problems there. Remember, I'll only be in Hokkaido for a week, so you better keep this house clean.   
I understand Mom. TK bowed his head so she could not see his relieved look. When are you leaving?  
Tomorrow morning. So I have to pack tonight.  
I can help you. TK volunteered, something that almost caused Patamon to snort into the soda he was drinking on the counter.  
That's very kind TK. Nancy looked suspicious again, and then shrugged.  
_The sooner you get our of Tokyo, the better_, TK thought to himself.  
  
What are you up to Izzy? The voice at his door nearly made Izzy's heart stop. Then he sighed and realized it was only his mother.  
Nothing Mom. You can come in. He continued working on hacking the codes guarding Utopia's guarded email system. He could hear the door behind him crack open.  
What are you doing? Oh, something illegal probably. His mother sat down next to him. Izzy, you've been behaving peculiarly for a while now, is there something you want to tell me.  
Well, no, not really. _You'd just panic_, he thought silently.  
Are you sure? Izzy's mother asked.  
Well...you know that trip that you keep wanting to take, back to where you were born, near Osaka?  
Yes Izzy?  
Well, why don't you go. I'm sure that Dad could get time off from the university even at short notice. You could go there for a week. I''l be fine here.  
Izzy, is something going to happen?  
I don't know Mom. I just don't want you to be here if something does. I can take care of myself, but I don't know if I can take care of you at the same time. It's just...I really don't want you involved.  
I trust you Izzy. A gentle hand was laid on his shoulder. I'll get myself and your father out of town tonight. I trust you, and I hope you do all right yourself.  
Thanks Mom. Izzy's only outward expression of emotion was a solitary tear that trickled down one cheek.  
  
So, what's happening next? Yolei asked urgently over the phone.  
I don't know. Ken whispered back. We're still trying to figure out what they're going to do. None of us really has any sort of clue as to what's going on right now.  
So I take it that our date's on indefinite hold.  
I'm really sorry Yolei, but...  
I understand. Don't worry, I'm sure that we'll have plenty of time later to deal with all of this. Anyway, can I come by and talk to you?  
Yeah, actually, surprisingly enough I'm going over to Cody's right now. Why don't you come and join me?  
Sure. I'd love to. Yolei hung up the phone. At that moment she became aware of her sister staring at her from directly behind her.  
Yolei asked defensively, turning red.  
Hah, I knew it! Her sister jumped away, singing. Yolei's got a boyfriend. Yolei's got a boyfriend!  
Hey! Come back here!  
  
So Mimi, what's your plan?  
Well, my parents are out of town again anyway, as usual, so there's not much I can do. They're already as safe as their ever going to be. It's my friends in other parts of the world that I'm worried about. I mean, I know the New York crowd. What if they're involved in it to? Mimi turned to Sora and Matt, who were both standing beside her, keeping an eye on the city from the lofty vantage point of the Tokyo Tower, where Mimi and Sora had fought SkullMeramon so many years ago.  
Unfortunately, it looks like they might be. That's probably what Izzy meant when he said that this could be worldwide. Sora shrugged helplessly. There's nothing we can really do, except for stand here and wait. And that's exactly what I plan to do. I'm going to be ready for them.  
That's my Sora. Matt smiled.  
Your Sora? Since when is that true? Sora turned around and squinted at him.  
Sorry. Privileged information. Matt tried to look away, but Sora kept bringing his gaze back by the simple expedient of moving his head.  
Privileged information is it?  
Yep. And only I'm privileged enough to know it. Matt managed to back away successfully.  
Oh you...  
Mimi looked away and sighed, enjoying the feeling of contentment while it lasted.  
  
You want to know about what? Adam looked mildly surprised, caught in the middle of eating the instant ramen that was the standard issue meal for college employees.  
Black holes. Izzy sat down. Especially ring-shaped ones.  
Ring shaped singularities are weird. Adam replied. I don't think that they're anything but a theoretical construct right now, and I don't expect them to see any soon. The basic theory is fairly simple, but the act of getting a quantum singularity to behave like a ring instead of a good, old-fashioned point is obscenely complicated. I don't think they have the math straightened out quite yet.  
But they are possible. Izzy insisted.  
Well, sort of. I guess.  
Could you make one on Earth?  
Adam laughed aloud at that, pointing his chopsticks up at the ceiling. Now that would be an interesting project. You can't do it normally, because of the mass involved.  
How big does it need to be? Izzy kept pushing.  
Well, I recall reading that the smallest black hole observed, or that they think they've observed was about four times the mass of the sunso figure about eight or nine times ten to the thirtieth kilograms. You could potentially make a smaller one, but the properties would be strange. As for on Earth, I don't know where we would get the mass necessary to start bending space. The process would violate about a thousand laws of Physics to do anything.  
And if you could bend the laws of Physics? Izzy asked intently.  
Adam's gaze sharpened. I hope this is a theoretical question.  
Izzy was non-committal.  
I'll have to think about that. Adam leaned back in his chair, his ramen temporarily forgotten. I'll have to think about that.  
  
TK looked at the pictures again, a sense of unease growing. Every image was exactly as he had seen it, and he was wondering again why everything seemed to have conspired against them.  
Hello Kari. He whispered without even turning around.  
I still don't believe how easily you do that. Kari muttered as she drew up beside him, giving him a brief massage on his shoulders. So what are you so concerned about.  
What Khartan said. I think that there may be a grain of truth to it after all. That there's a traitor in our midst. Or at least that he has some way of keeping tabs on us. It's beginning to look like that. We haven't seen any action with digimon attacks since that first battle in Shinjuku, so it seems that he has given up on trying to attack Tokyo, but we have not caught sight of him, or figured out, in any measure, what his plans are. I mean, face it, he's still as mysterious as he ever was, and despite the fact that we've uncovered an international conspiracy we have no idea what's going to happen in two days that has Izzy so upset.  
Well, it doesn't mean that there is a traitor, or it doesn't mean that there's a conscious one. Kari responded, glancing briefly at the pictures TK had assembled of their actions as viewed through newspaper photographs. I mean, he could not know.  
You mean that one of us might be keeping a diary and writing all this stuff down or something? I'm more inclined to believe that one of the adults is accidentally leaking information somewhere, but I'm not sure where. At the same time I have had the feeling from time to time that not all is as it should be. That something has been hidden. How about you?  
OK, you've got me, I admit to feeling that. Kari pursed her lips thoughtfully, as if thinking heavily about something. But do you have any idea what it means.  
Nope, and neither does anyone else. In fact, I suspect that we're the only ones who know them.  
So what are you so worried about? Kari asked him.  
I was thinking it over last night, and I cam up with a conclusion. The best way to slip something on us, to change us from a team to a dysfunctional mob would be to corrupt a digidestined, right?  
All right. I'll give you that, by why would any of us go over to the Darkness. I know that we've been tempted before, but why now?  
I checked my suspicion with Izzy last night. There is a way to corrupt a good person, and that person might not necessarily know that they were being corrupted. I checked with Izzy's records. We never found Oikawa's computer system after the MaloMyostismon affair. We have no idea what happened to his original records of the programming behind the dark spore.  
Kari gasped. You're not saying...  
No, I'm not, but it's a suspicion. What if Khartan managed to grow dark spores again? What if he managed to implant one in one of us. One of us could be a traitor then, and their corruption would have been very slow.  
But the dark spore disrupts personalities, doesn't it? I mean, we would notice if someone started behaving differently, wouldn't we? Kari seemed to be seeking reassurance more than anything.  
I would like to think so, but I'm not entirely sure whether or not we would catch subtle manipulations. It might be a lot more difficult than we think. After all, this may not be a fast process; it may be a slow one.  
So what do you think we should do? Kari inquired.  
Keep an eye on everyone. TK nodded. Absolutely everyone.  
  
Whamon belched a huge jet of steam in the air as he rounded the point. His digidestined, Harrison, clutched onto the back of the whale with expert feet, searching the horizon with sharp eyes.  
Derrick asked as they peered around.  
No, it doesn't look like it. Everything here is secure. I can't actually see anything through this fog. How 'bout Crabby? He having any luck down there?  
If he had he would have come up. All right, I think it's safe to say that nobody else is out here. How 'bout you Stace?  
My digimon is just as smart as yours. If we haven't heard back, then the island is still empty and deserted.  
Good. Someone get on the horn to Odaiba, and tell them that we still have control of all of our staging points.  
  
How many people are needed to go to Phase Two? Joe asked as they rushed along.  
Four senior digidestined. That means that I'd like us all to be from one team, and since Mimi couldn't get away from her dinner with her parents, I need to find one other who I think nobody will ever suspect knows. Or somebody who is too secure to be attacked.  
Joe hazarded a guess as they threaded up to the Takaishi apartment.  
It's a good thought. Izzy stepped up and knocked at the Takaishi door. There were a few coughs from inside, something that sounded like rustling, and then a voice quavered, Come in.  
Izzy entered and frowned. Ken, who was following behind grinned, and Joe coughed into his fist. Kari and TK looked at them with wide eyes from where they were sitting on opposite ends of the couch.  
It's all right TK, you don't have to pretend so hard for our sake. We aren't Tai. Izzy grinned at them suddenly, causing TK and Kari to blush.  
So what're you doing here? TK asked, ignoring Ken's silent laughter.  
Trying to figure stuff out. You?  
I have some thoughts, about what Khartan was saying about having a traitor in our midst. It could be true. I'm worried. TK looked very serious, and Izzy could not help but notice how adult-like he suddenly was.  
How true? Joe asked.  
Well, both Kari and I have a feeling that something is not as it seems, that somebody is not quite what they appear to be. That kind of feeling usually comes from the Heart of the World, especially if both of us feel it at the same time. This could be divine guidance for all we know. All we really know for certain is that it spells trouble for us. What do you want to know?  
I want you both to volunteer to hold a piece of information near to your heart. I don't want to let anybody else know, but I know that corrupting you is nearly impossible. I didn't tell you earlier because you were too obvious as targets went, but right now qualifies as an emergency, and someone has to do it. That, in case you hadn't noticed, is you. Can I trust you?  
Of course. Kari responded at once for both of them.  
Ken held out one hand. Welcome to the IDEF.  
The what? TK asked.  
Hold onto that thought, it will take me a minute to explain.  
  
The brown-haired boy stuck his head into the room, after his knock had brought no response.  
Oh, hello Taichi. Lieutenant Takaeda stuck his head up from behind the mound of paperwork he was filling out. Sorry, I didn't hear you enter.  
You wanted to talk to me? Tai pulled himself into the opposite chair and waited for Takaeda's response.  
Yes. It seems that reinforcing police units with digidestined has been an impressive move. Most opposing forces really can't handle being hit by digimon and police forces together. Attacks have dropped off almost completely. We haven't even had a hoax in a day. And the story is much the same worldwide. Attacks by hostile digimon are fading, primarily due to the efforts of digidestined worldwide.  
It seems like it really was a good idea. Tai commented.  
Yes, and that's worrying me. I saw these creatures attack with my own eyes. They seem like the monsters of the Apocalypse variety, not the quiting variety. And so the question is, why are the attacks lessening? You would think that they would throw everything they had at us instead of giving us time to strengthen our defenses. Instead, they're backing off. I'm a cop Tai. I think in terms of police activities. Most of that stuff that they show on TV is bunk, but for a tactical guy like me, we all have a sense that tells us the difference between the end and the calm before the storm. And now my instincts are telling me that something big's on the way. Care to comment?  
Tai took a deep breath before responding. That's the same thing that we're starting to think, but we don't know what, only that it's coming in the next few days. We haven't a clue ourselves, but if I were you I would be prepared for anything.  
So, call in the troops, strengthen the defenses, something like that? Takaeda looked around before lowering his voice. Or is this something way over our heads?  
I don't know about that, but it could be something way over all of our heads. Tai responded quietly.  
Great. Well, we'll try to keep Tokyo in one piece if it is. You guys take care of yourself.  
We'll do our best. Tai replied.  
  
We'll see about that. The darkened figure listening through the window whispered through clenched teeth. Then he was gone before anyone could have spotted him.  
  
So it's really that easy to start? TK asked Izzy.  
Yes. Seems odd doesn't it, that it would have to remain so secret. The question we should really ask is if we're ready for this ourselves. Izzy looked thoughtfully at the internet connection opened on the screen before him.  
I think it is. Kari responded.  
So do I. Ken agreed.  
Well then, shall we do it? Joe asked.  
Izzy pressed a key on his keyboard, coughed once, and then spoke into his top of the line microphone.  
This is Koushiro Izumi of Odaiba One. Authroization code Two-Nine-One-Seven-Delta-Alpha-Four. Code Gallipoli. Authorize Phase Two.  
This is Ken Ichijouji of Odaiba One. Authorization code is Four-Six-Three-One-Epsilon-Chi-Nine. Code Gallipoli. Authorize Phase Two.  
This is Jyou Kido of Odaiba One. Authorization code is Five-Five-Two-Seven-Iota-Mu-Six. Code Gallipoli. Authorize Phase Two.  
This is Takeru Takaishi of Odabia One. Authorization code Eight-Four-Five-Two-Delta-Gamma-Four. Code Gallipoli. Authorize Phase Two.  
The computer blinked twice, the screen flashing in an odd pattern. A moment later it changed color to green.  
So what does that mean? Joe whispered.  
It means that we've started the ball rolling. I don't know if we can stop it now.  
  
A computer program, so well designed and so well hidden that the owners of a hundred computers were barely aware of its existence woke up. It considered the orders given it, verified identification codes, and then, using email systems from other networks around the globe, broadcast a series of short messages before closing down and waiting for the next signal.  
  



	12. Phase Two

Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon.  
Author's Note: According to my calculations April 22nd, 2004 will be a Thursday. Therefore most of this takes place on Wednesday.  
  
**

Episode XXXVII  
Phase Two  
  


**  
_No coward soul is mine,  
No trembler in the world's storm-troubled sphere:  
I see Heaven's gloried shine,  
And faith shines equal, arming me from fear.  
_Emily Bronte, Last Lines_  
_  
Willis nearly fell out of his chair as the printer in the corner started printing. Team Eagle had three printers, but one was not connected up to the network. It was a simple straight connection, printer three was connected directly to another computer, serving as a personal printer. The problem was, Willis thought as he brushed himself off, who the computer belonged to. The only person who could access computer three was Koushiro Izumi in Odaiba. And he never used it unless the situation was dire.  
Willis walked over to the printer and looked down at the page. There was no intelligible writing coming out of the printer. Instead it was simply repeating itself, printing line after line of numbers. Line after line of twos.  
Willis said just before he sprinted out the door.  
Fifteen minutes later the natives of New York were faced with a disturbingly familiar image: a Gulfstream V corporate jet bearing an Eagle logo roaring down the runway of La Guardia, escorted by a huge flying dragon-like digimon. While tourists gawked, experienced New Yorkers understood and turned away, hurrying home. Team Eagle was in the air, and big doings were underway.  
  
Fifty minutes later an ordinary sedan pulled up in front of a regular looking home in a regular London suburb. Two teenagers got out, each clutching a different suspicious bundle to their chests, and carrying the necessary equipment for a regular teenaged sleepover. They entered the house very calmly and placed their stuff up the floor, greeting the hosting adults with courtesy, restraining themselves until they were able to rush up to the top floor without being questioned.  
Hey you two. Daniel Oleander glanced up from his computer as the boy and girl rushed into his room.  
What's happening? We came as soon as we got the word. The girl, Brandi, asked, panting from her run up the stairs.  
I don't know. We got traffic from Odaiba declaring Phase Two, but almost no followup. It looks like they don't even know what's happening. All they say is that something big is supposed to happen tomorrow, and they don't know what. Daniel jerked around in his chair.  
So where are the others? The boy, Kyle, asked.  
Right here for one. The window opened and an athletic looking girl squeezed through.  
Hey Cassie, I thought you were going to be later. Daniel did not look the least surprised at the girl's method of entry.  
Well, let's just say that Unimon helped me to cheat.  
Good because we're going to need you.  
So what do we do? Kyle asked.  
Well, it seems that we have a quorum of the European Legion London Division here. So we can figure out what our next plan of action is.  
Have you talked to Catherine? Brandi asked quietly.  
Yes, but it's not like we have an overall plan. I don't think we ever were prepared for Phase Two. But whether we were ready or not, the European Legion is going to be there anyway.  
  
Any luck? Anna yelled at Sonja.  
Yes and no! Sonja yelled back as Snimon touched the earth, claws reaching out, extending to grab onto the surface. They were all buffeted by intense winds. I made contact with some of the Siberian groups, but I'm sure a whole bunch are still missing. Fortunately it looks like this weather will break, so we have no problems getting across Russia.  
Good, I guess. Yuri called. He managed to reach the St. Petersburg contingent, but he was having problems in Minsk. I don't know why. Anna reached out and helped Sonja dismount.  
Makes sense. Minsk is notorious for being paranoid and hard to contact. So, any word from Japan? Sonja tried to warm up after several hours at high speeds in the upper atmosphere.  
No. Izumi has been silent since the first transmission. We got an update from Team Eagle saying that they were proceeding as planned, and the Australian Avengers gave a similar report, but no details. Anna consulted a clipboard she had brought with her as another blast of wind ruffled their jackets.   
Good, we shouldn't get any details. What about our European cousins? Sonja had to yell above this blast of wind.  
We have confirmation from the London and Paris divisions of the European Legion, but nothing from Frankfurt or Rome or Madrid or Berlin or Bordeaux or...  
I get the point. They're taking too long. How long did Izzy say we had, day after tomorrow?  
Yes, which, if they wait until morning gives us thirty hours. Give or take a few depending on the time zone.  
I hate this time zone stuff. Sonja yelled.  
Get some sleep. Anna recommended. You might need it.  
  
There was a screech of tires on tarmac and the Gulfstream V hit the grounds of a small airport near the outskirts of Chicago. The door opened and a ladder descended almost before the ground crew could turn around to watch the unusual plane.  
Lou spilled out, with Gotsumon hanging onto him and Maria right behind him.   
We'll see you in a few hours! Lou called up the ladder to someone inside the plane.  
Right. See you then! Michael's voice floated back then. A moment later he was back in the cockpit as the plane taxied around for takeoff once again.   
So Lanis, can we make Houston on time? He asked the pilot.  
Should be able to. You sure the LA crew will meet us there? Lanis replied as the plane taxied back toward the runway.  
They better. The Thunderbirds have always been fairly reliable. With Amy and Willis in Washington, Lou and Maria coordinating in New York and us meeting with the Thunderbirds in Houston, I think that we may actually have a chance of pulling this off.  
Well, regardless, go buckle yourself in. Let's see if your father's latest modifications mean that we actually have a chance of breaking Mach 0.95 on this baby.  
I thought the manufacturers told us not to do that. Michael commented as he hurriedly fastened the straps on his seat.  
Yeah, but were you listening? 'cause I sure wasn't. Lanis slammed the throttle forward and the jet roared back off the ground.  
  
Hello Bane. Khartan did not even turn around in his impenetrable cloak of darkness. He did not have to. Both parties present understood perfectly what was going on. I trust that your bearing indicates you have bad newsas usual.  
Bane gave a half smile, half glimmer of something dark and evil lurking behind his shadow. Our agents tracking known digidestined indicate that they are up to something, and have begun planning. It is possible that they have received advanced information regarding our plans.  
Our plans were made with them in mindwere they not? Khartan fixed Bane with an iron glare.  
Bane remained unphased by both the glare and the comment. Yes, however it does alter our contingencies. Our possibility of failure is increasing.  
Do you suggest we withdraw? Khartan leveled a glare at Bane.  
Bane smiled blandly. There was no humor in his expression. Not at all. You know what your masters would say to that. But I am just saying that we should be more careful.  
Then I will be more careful my spy. And you will accelerate your mission to destroy the primary digidestined. You may now duly report to your overseers that I said that. Now go away and leave me in peace. The cloak of darkness settled heavily over the monarch's shoulders.  
Chuckling to himself silently, Bane walked away.  
  
Hell of a time to wake me up. Adam grumbled as he stirred something into his tea. The sun had barely crept over the horizon, and its rays were shining high into the room, not low enough for Adam to actually see the brilliant orb in the sky.  
Sorry about that. Hideo Ishiguro did not sound sorry at all. But we finally managed to figure out where all that money that Utopia's been spending is going.  
We did? Adam blinked sleepily, but his mind came fully awake, the gears turning and the synapses firing.  
Yes, they've been bribing members of the Diet.  
To what end? Adam looked around concerned.  
It appears that the Diet has pressured the Defense Ministry into having the JSDF conduct maneuvers on the far edges of Japanese territory. To put it plainly, there are no forces that are technically loyal to the Japanese government within striking range of the Japanese heartland.  
Now that's an ominous development. Adam noted.  
Plus some other problems. Agents in both Switzerland and strangely enough, New England, have been reporting sightings of strange creatures.  
Any details?  
Nothing. They have not seen the like of these creatures beforewhatever they are. Master Ishiguro sighed and stared at the ceiling for a moment. But the way they behave suggests that they might be digimon. And if they arethey're hiding and they're doing it well.  
Those are interesting places for sightings. Adam commented.  
Indeed. I've ordered our agents in the areas to full alert, and I've had our associates and allies in both Britain and Washington D.C. take precautions. Additionally, we've put the Seventh Fleet to sea. I didn't think having them in their bases in Japan would be the smartest thing if all hell really does break loose here.  
Probably a wise idea. Adam yawned. Have you talked to Professor Takenouchi?  
No, he should already be on his way to a safe house.  
  
Oddly enough, in Tokyo. We told everyone else that he was leaving the country, or at least going into the wilderness, so it ought to be safe.  
Did he say anything about those neutrino emissions?  
Not to me certainly. Hideo raised an eyebrow.  
Well, well. Adam murmured quietly. I think I better check up on Koushiro's hypothesis, or whatever you call his theory. I guess we both better be on alert after this.  
  
Morning Tai. Kari poked her brother in the shoulder. He had been sleeping for a long time, having been so tired that he had fallen asleep in his clothes, and Kari had been to concerned about him to wake him. After his talk with TK he had cried for a while, and then sat listlessly on his bed for hours. Sometimes he had spoken to himself, in a voice that altered between a rising storm, and a quiet whisper. He had spoken to himself of Sora and what they had once shared, of Matt, of the contemptuous man that Matt had once been, and the man he had become. In the end he had sometimes spoken of himself, of the man he was now, of the changes he had wrought.  
He had worried Kari to no end. Sometimes he had held Kari's hand as a drowning man might grasp feebly at the rope that led back to shore. In those times his nails, shaking, had driven into Kari's palm almost like cruel spikes, and the urgency in his voice, as he spoke to himself, was beyond compare. He spoke in those times, eyes sightless and unseeing, or his most private doubts, of those times when he had failed, had lied to those who trusted him, when he had cheated, or when he had failed in the trust that the others all had in him. He spoke of the times he had lost, of different nightmares that still haunted him. Sometimes he seemed almost on the verge of screaming, and he writhed with some inner torment as he revealed his secrets. Incident after incident, some innocent and childlike, some not, came out, and Kari was surprised and shocked at the number of things that her brother remembered, at how many of them there truly were, of how many regrets he had. She began to understand the inner demons that tormented his soul.  
Then, when Kari had been on the verge of running away, of hiding her head in her hands to shield her from these torments he would relent and his voice would change. Still he would stare, sightless, at nothing, but he would talk of beautiful places seen in the Digital World, memories of times when there was teamwork and when everyone had worked together, and used their abilities to win against their enemies. He would speak of rests and naps taken in verdant meadows under the shadows of far away mountains, standing as silent sentinels against the elements. He talked of hours spent wandering through flower-encrusted paths, sometimes just talking, sometimes singing, sometimes just sitting and watching. He relaxed like this until he was almost asleep.  
Then, just when Kari was prepared to tuck him in, he would change yet again. His voice would rise, louder and strident, and he would talk of battles fought and won, of enemies overcome. He would describe their victories, sorrow for their losses, and proclaim the true stories of their ongoing struggle against the forces of darkness. Sometimes he would sound like he was going to war right now, sometimes as if these were events that had taken place long ago.  
At any other time Kari might have called for help. But she understood now that Tai really needed to find himself, to learn who he was. So instead of interfering she had sat there silently until he had exhausted himself and fallen into a deep sleep.  
  
Tai remembered none of this as such. What he did remember was himself walking, always walking higher and higher, struggling against the muddy ground of a great slope, covered in darkened earth and filth. Sometimes images from his past would appear. Sometimes they appeared as visions, leading him on through the more treacherous patches of ground as he wandered his way up through the undergrowth. Sometimes they threw themselves at him like demons, screaming until he fell, toppling down, the mud covering his bare legs.  
Then, with tremendous effort, he reached the top, and found only a bare field where they were waiting. The enemies he had once had, the enemies he had failed to stop, the ones that were waiting for him still. They stood there, above the corpses of his friends and family, calmly surveying him.  
_Too late. Too late. You came too late._ The voices began to whisper to him, but he ignored them. He felt something different moving him, something that had changed him both inside and outside, and he could feel a new sensation moving through him.  
On his chest his crest burst into orange fire and blasted through the suddenly hazy battlefield. When it was done there was nothing there save an empty field, and another looming slope beyond that, as long as the one that he had just struggled up. But this mountain was not composed of filthy and treacherous mud, but of grass and trees, beautiful to look at and, even if long, a pleasant climb.  
Tai took a deep breath and started to climb.  
  
Yamato Ishida also had an unpleasant night. He had also seen the depths to which Tai had fallen, and felt an amount of guilt. After all he could have also dispatched KingEtemon, but in his heart of hearts he worried that his relationship with Sora was about to cost him his best friend. Alone, his father off at work, he had cried until his pillow was wet, and then fallen asleep with only his cold tears as comfort.  
In his dream he was once again holding the harmonica he had used to play, that still rested alone in his drawer. Around him he was tormented by a storm of music, different tunes played to torture him. Each of them would have been beautiful, but together they became dissonant, clashing with each other like battering rams, screaming their octaves and notes at their competitors. Trapped in the center was like being trapped in a maelstrom, being battered by all sides, powers ripping at them like tides, transforming into screaming banshees who sought nothing more than to deafen and tear at him.  
He raised the harmonica uncertainly to his lips and began to blow into it, the sound coming out thin and reedy instead of deep and resonant. It hung in the air like the lightest of the whiffs of wind before being blown away in the dissonant storm. But Matt refused to be disenheartened. In turn he started to blow carefully, following one tune and then another, always keeping in pace. He could match the other songs perfectly, his music abilities at least remained unphased by the passage of time, and by recent events. But every time he got close, every time he managed to copy another song a driving gale approached him, the scorned songs rising in volume against him, until the tatters of what he had been playing were forever lost to him.  
He reeled, battered, until suddenly, out of instinct born in the sacred core that was actually him he raised the harmonica to his lips and played the song that he had invented so many years ago to play to TK. It was his song, the first he had ever written. And this song sprang up as if backed by an orchestra instead of a harmonica, rising, wailing ever higher and higher in pitch, rising towards the stars. He was aware that he was sounding like the trumpets of Armageddon, blowing his horn toward the end of the world, and that for him the whole world was resonating with his song. At the same time he became aware that the other songs that had been competing with him had slowed down. No longer did they strive against him and each other so passionately. They were not fighting any more, but aiding each other in finding a new harmony. As he played they ceased their endless struggle, ceased to scream at each other, and instead joined each other, becoming as close to a single perfect song as they could get without being perfect themselves. For a moment they all stood together in perfect harmony. And then they blanked out and Matt walked on, the lesson well learned.  
  
Tai walked into the ruined building from the north just as Matt walked in from the south. They looked at each other and understood, no words being necessary to explain the sudden feeling of camaraderie. They both understood quickly that the other had been through a terrible trial as well, and had learned a very important lesson. Quickly they came together and embraced.  
Well, you boys certainly took your time. Gennai spoke up from behind them, sending both boys spinning around, having been completely unaware that he had been there.  
Gennai, what are you doing here? Tai asked.  
A silly question. Waiting for you of course, what did you expect me to be doing here? Gennai responded. He was young again, wearing the familiar brown robes and looked as if he was waiting for them to do something.  
Waiting for us to why? Tai asked again.  
Oh I knew that the two of you would come here sooner or later. It's one of those things that's predestined, or whatever they call it these days. I mean, I know that it's usually not kosher to describe it as such, but the truth is that it was almost a certainty from the first time that you decided to be friends. That you would come here together that is... Gennai trailed off thoughtfully.  
So, where are we anyway? Matt asked, looking around at the faceless walls.  
The Companions's Gate. Gennai replied.  
The Companions's Gate to what? Tai responded quickly.  
Well, the Heart of the World of course. The source of the powers of your crest. This is where they come from. The place where everything is Light and Light is everything.  
What kind of a Gate is it? Matt asked. I don't see anything that looks like a Gate.  
Behind you. Gennai pointed and they turned and gasped.  
Behind them was a huge structure, easily as tall as a skyscraper, where seconds ago they could both have sworn that there was nothing there. It was a giant gate, made out of polished, gleaming steel. Except for a single crack in the middle where the gates split apart it was seamless, nearly perfect itself. Two huge statues flanked it, one a male in armor, one a female in much the same armor. Both raised swords that crossed directly over the center of the gate, forming an additional arch under which anyone who wished to enter must pass. In the middle of the gate stood a single silent figure, this one like a giant stone statue, a knight on horseback, mutely awaiting the coming of some battle that would decide his existence.  
So this is the way to the center of our powers? Tai asked, breathlessly.  
Should we go in? Matt raised an eyebrow.  
Gennai answered, softly but firmly. You must have the need to enter here, and you do not. You just recently have found the ability to come here, through finding yourselves and your meaning in life. Both of you, being warriors, have fought the uphill battle to come here.   
Taichi has fought against his own despair and his own failures to arise purified, cleansed of past sins. He is now the bearer of Courage more than ever, having won that position yet again. His doubts are part of him, but now he knows that they are not the most valuable part, nor are they the most important. He now knows that he can struggle against the enemy that has always been his greatest, himself. The man who lead you all across your many battles has found new conviction, new strength.  
Yamato has, in his turn, discovered his role in the group. He cannot be someone else, cannot be a different person, cannot change what he is. He is the spirit of friendship. Without his aid you may descend into petty bickering, and sometimes it may seem that the song he weaves may be more dissonant than harmonious with the rest of you. But his being himself helps all of you become a team, work together, and remain friends no matter the obstacle. He is now ready to assume his role to unite the group once more.  
For too long have you held suspicions against each other, for too long have you silently struggled, contested with each other. Now, here, you must understand that the girl you were fighting over is going to be your friend for life no matter what happens. And you understand that you both feel genuinely, and you both have the power to change your own destiny. Here you must understand that there was no reason to fight over her, for she has the power to choose, and you must learn whether your own feelings were genuine.   
Now, at last you can unite against your common foes. Gennai smiled at them.  
You ready? Tai held out his hand. An offer of truce.  
You bet. Matt grasped his, and there was new steel and new energy in his grip. Tai returned it in kind and felt an electronic surge run through him.  
A voice intruded on Tai's thoughts and he grinned. Sorry guys, but I think Kari's trying to wake me up. I guess I'll see you soon.  
You can count on that. Matt returned the grin.  
Be prepared. The end is coming. Gennai raised a hand in warning.  
See you in a bit. Tai waved and disappeared.  
  
What time is it? Tai mumbled.  
Eight thirty. You're late. Kari complained. We have a meeting at TK's in half an hour, remember? She tried not to look too worried.  
Don't worry about me. I'm fine. Tai yawned and sat up. But I'm going to have to hurry if I don't want to be late.  
Kari trailed off as her brother shot up and ran off to the bathroom. What's gotten into him?  
  
Cody's Grandfather sat down on a bench next to the newspaper-perusing Hideo Ishiguro.  
They've started moving. Here and abroad. People are appearing in strange places. He began without preamble.  
Greentree and Rowan caught some people last night mapping out the military command centers in Moscow, and I have a report that somebody was doing the same thing in Germany. Whatever the opposition is up to, it's going to be big. We've alerted everyone we canit's out of our hands now. Master Ishiguro gripped his newspaper so hard that his knuckles whitened.  
Any further orders?  
Get yourself and your family out of the line of fire. Ishiguro's eyes were as hard as agates. Because from here on out, God will have to have mercy on all of us.  
  
Tai arrived just in time for the meeting, sitting down next to Izzy at the front of the room with the others spread out behind him. Some few were still missing, but a moment or so later Yolei and Ken walked in, blushing, followed by the ever-present grinning Davis. About ten seconds after that Joe ran in, panicking over being late. And then, two minutes later Matt ran in.  
What took so long? Sora asked.  
I overslept. He replied with a straight face and a wink at Tai, who grinned at him.  
So what's on the agenda? Cody asked, fidgeting. The tension was beginning to get to him, Tai suspected.  
Well first off, let me ask a few questions. Tai stood up before anyone else could say anything. Izzy, how many installations does Utopia have in the area?  
Actually, I can answer that. TK stood up, smiling at something that only he seemed to be able to see. My Dad did some snooping around while Matt was playing sleeping beauty, and he found another one, so we're up to five directly owned corporate offices, and two subsidiary installations. So that gives us seven.  
What are the biggest ones? Tai asked thoughtfully.  
Well, the main complex of course, the Troubador Investment Headquarters near Shinbashi, and a huge factory complex in Yokohama. That does it for their large installations, by which I suspect you mean installations big enough to actually hold an army. That gives them a whole bunch of resources.  
Are we watching all of them? Tai asked sharply.  
Izzy suddenly appeared a bit flustered. Well, no, we've been busy.  
Then we get unbusy. TK, what are you doing right now?  
Now, nothing really. You need something? He was grinning openly and Tai made a mental note to ask him about that later.  
Yes. How many people and digimon pairs would you need to keep those three places staked out?  
Hmmm....I presume you mean about twenty-four hours a day. So, if we only watch the three big ones it will mean that we'll need at minimum nine pairs, but that's doing eight hour shifts with no company. I think it would be a lot better if we could have shorter shifts and partners, but that changes it from nine pairs to probably close to eighteen. And that also means that we have to get people to work at night.  
All right then, that would stretch our manpower really far, so what if we just kept the Shinjuku facility under surveillance? Would that give us any advance warning of what they're planning to do? Tai looked back at Izzy, but this time Izzy had an answer.  
Well, not really I think. We did a whole lot of damage to it, but since they let us I'm assuming that it isn't really that critical. We would probably have a better time watching the big plant at Yokohama, but I don't know what we're watching for. Izzy closed his eyes for a moment as if visualizing something.  
And you said the disruption would be worldwide? Tai asked.  
Well, it should be. They're e-mailing facilities all over the world. The problem is that they're mostly saying get ready to commence the operation, without actually specifying what the operation is. I really don't know what they're up to.  
Well then, we might be needed overseas. TK, I want you to talk to Noriko, because she's the default leader of the other Tokyo digidestined. I want you to arrange some system by which they can keep constant surveillance over the Yokohama site. I want to know the moment that anything goes strange over there, but I also want us to be ready to face international emergencies. That means that you should probably alert your father to keep an eye on international news, and to contact us the moment something goes wrong.  
Will do. TK responded.  
Ken, Izzy, I assume that you guys are doing some sort of computer stuff over here. I want you to keep on that, because it might be important.  
Yes sir! Ken snapped off a salute that no longer seemed out of place.  
That means that...Davis, you are not to leave Ken's side, you got that?  
Davis blinked as if he had been slapped in the forehead. But why?  
Because if everything goes wrong we're going to need ImperialDramon to transport us. That's our weakest link, because if they cut off Ken and Davis we're not only minus one Mega, we've lost our best transportation. You guys stick together.  
  
Next order of business. I don't want digidestined operating alone. You go anywhere you go in pairs. I mean this seriously. And don't get out of sight of your partners, the time for playing around is over. The other guys are playing for keeps. Just in case I think I'd better place some extra security around here. Our most valuable players may very well be TK and Kari, so wherever they go, someone else goes with them. And I'm not, he began as he met two slightly resentful glances. doing this just because I'm being a paranoid big brother watching some guy date his sister. I'm doing this because I'm just paranoid in general. If you want you can take Mimi or Sora along. I'm sure they wouldn't protest at anything you usually do in private.  
TK and Kari turned bright red while everybody else snickered.  
So, next order of business. We need a functioning chain of command. I guess I'm still the leader, but if anything happens to me I guess the field leadership of the team descends to Matt first, by benefit of seniority, and then to Davis. You know what's expected of a leader, and they better remember how to provide it. At the same time our coordination is usually handed by Izzy, so if he's telling you what you have to do, accept it, because he has a lot of connections that the rest of us don't. But if we lose contact with Izzy for any reason, everyone better turn to Ken instead, because he's one of the people who also has a lot of experience at running a show like this. One exception. If TK and Kari go all mystic on you and tell you to do something, do it! They've been the victims of divine intervention several times too often for us to ignore it.  
Next, I assume that Izzy is coordinating with the international digidestined fairly well?  
Yes. We have some plans in place that we've already set in motion. Izzy looked like he was going to say something else for a moment, and then stopped.  
Good. I won't ask what they are if you're confident that you can handle them. I assume that they'll respond to you if something happens. If that happens I assume that you'll have some way to contact the rest of us near at hand. Remember that. Now, as I recall some of us still have to go to school, even with Adam's excellent excuses. So the younger crowd better get going while the older kids here focus on our 'project'. There were grins all around. Now scoot.  
What happened to Tai? Tai heard Joe whisper to Izzy in an undertone.  
I don't know. Izzy confessed. Tai smiled at that.  
So Tai. TK tapped Tai on the shoulder as he left. You're going to have to tell me what the Companions' Gate really looks like.  
As TK left Tai and Matt just shook their heads. That kid knows way too much. Tai stated.  
  
Kari whispered halfway to class.  
What is it? TK whispered back, hiding his voice and any possible response in the general noise of the crowded hallway.  
I've been having that disturbed feeling againlike I had before I was dragged off to the Dark Ocean. Somebody is watching me across the boundaries between worlds.  
I've been feeling things too, but I didn't want to say anything. TK looked around to see if any of his classmates suddenly looked more suspicious than they had a few moments ago. Do you think that you're in danger.  
Not immediately. Whatever it isespecially if it's HIM is content to watch, but content or not, he is definitely interested in me. Kari looked only a little nervous and TK smiled. Apparently embracing her powers had increased her self confidence.  
Anything particularly worrisome? TK squeezed Kari's shoulder.  
I wonder what caught his interest. If it is HIM why is he interested now after all these years? He never was before, so why right now? It's a bit of an odd coincidence if you think about it.  
If you think about it, it doesn't seem like a coincidence at all. Especially not now. TK shook his head as if to clear it and smiled at Kari. But we may have bigger things to worry about soon after all.  
  
Man, I hate Wednesday. Davis muttered as they struggled through Alegbra class. And I really hate this Wednesday.  
At least you're halfway through the week. A friend whispered back to him from the next desk over.  
Davis grunted. He was having the strangest school day of his life. Usually he was used to watching the clock move with near glacial slowness, each tick of the minute and hour hand seeming to take weeks to pass by. He was used to having so much spare time on his hands that he had to invent soccer games on his desk to keep himself from passing out due to boredom. He had never understood how people could say that school did not pass slow.  
Now he understood. Every time the clock moved he was just a little closer to Doomsday, the day in which disaster and death would break lose. All that was keeping him from complete destruction, the world from death and despair, were those intervening wedges of space on the clock. Now, today, time seemed to melt away from under him, the clock seemed to be running so fast that Davis was afraid that it would catch on fire from the friction.  
_Tick_. Another second closer to Doomsday. _Tick_. Another second closer to Doomsday.  
_Tick.  
  
_Found it. Izzy reported.  
Jim, who had been sitting around in the ghostbuster's meeting room sipping some coffee, looked surprised. Found what?   
Those equations I was looking for. I don't know enough to derive them myself, but I found a simplified version that I can apply to this situation in a book on General Relativity. Izzy sat back satisfied.  
I never touched the stuff anyways. What did you need that? Jim looked curious.  
To figure out what they were doing. It looks like our opposition has come up with a way to make a temporary singularity, but it's not ring shaped. It's going to be a hollow sphere, taking anything inside of it out of reality and into some other universe.  
You mean they have something that will randomly shoot them into another universe? Jim asked.  
Not randomly. I'm positive that they can adjust their path by using different harmonics or somethingalthough I definitely don't know enough physics to figure that out, but this thing could very possibly be a self-contained gate. Izzy looked worried.  
Well, at least you know what it is. Jim relaxed and picked up a magazine from a corner table.  
But that's not the best way to open a gate. Why are they doing that? Izzy wondered to himself.  
  
This meeting will come to order. Catherine banged on the table hard, Daniel and Johann standing to either side, giving the small French girl an imposing presence. This meeting of the European Legion is now in session.  
Only about a dozen other people were in the room, but they had all traveled hard from a variety of cities across Europe to get here. Behind those people, their elected leaders, stood digidestined from a variety of different contingents. From the small core of the London team to the numerically superior, but more inexperienced Frankfurt division, to the representatives of the fledgling Copenhagen branch this marked the first time since the Enigma affair that the European Legion had actually met in a full formal session.  
Our latest updates from Odaiba claim that whatever big is going on is going down tomorrow. Daniel took over the meeting, speaking in English while Catherine translated into French, and Johann into German. That means that it's going to take all of us just when we're not quite ready. We've begun to distribute forms to tell us when and where we are meeting to oragnize ourselves in case of invasion, but the truth is that I really don't know what to expect. As a result we've had to make our plans sort of vague.  
What we need from you. Catherine continued. Is lists. We need active duty rosters. We need to know how much transportation you have, how much you can provide. We need to know how many veterans you have. We're going to start organizing our people into air defense teams, and then again into ground defense teams. Plus we need to know how many contacts we have with government officials, how much support we can count on.  
Plus it would be really nice to arrange some more contact plans. We have no idea what happens if we flip Phase Two over to its more active stage. We simply don't have contingency plans for that. Daniel remarked. And we won't know how much of a response we'll get until that day dawns, so its up to us to prepare for the unexpected.  
Ladies and Gentlemen, the European Legion is back.  
  
Rosa looked around and smiled. She had turned recently into a much more serious minded individual, and was now understanding the stakes for which the game was played. The Aztecs were a young team, and mostly an inexperienced team, but they were her team, and, among all of the teams, they were the one she wanted to be with. Now they clustered around inside their clubhouse waiting for her to speak.  
We've already promised our support to the Odaiba squadron. So now it's our turn to save the world. We might have to do it as early as tomorrow. So it's time for us to be ready. Are you with me?  
Came the enthusiastic response.  
Then let's get busy.  
  
Joe's finger slipped off of his pencil for the third time that day, and he swore with uncharacteristic vehemence at the offending object. Then he put down the pad of paper he had been holding, on which he had not written a single thing.  
Don't be so tense Joe. Gomamon murmured out of the bushes next to the bench. The two of them were sitting at a bench at seaside park, keeping a careful eye on the calm ocean for any signs of trouble. Mimi was sitting on a beach towel out in front of them, half-dozing off, but Joe's attention had wandered off of her.  
I'm trying not to be. Joe sighed. But it's never been like this. Surewe've had to wait for big confrontations before, but never when we didn't even know what was coming. It's just hard on me.  
I agree that it's worse than knowing what you have to deal with. Gomamon admitted, which was enough to startle Joe out of his stupor. Gomamon normally never admitted things like that, especially on the eve of battle. Gomamon must have caught Joe's startled expression, I think you should get used to it. Life isn't perfect.  
Joe took a deep breath and than sighed. I'm worried. It's obvious from their behavior that TK and Kari suspect something, and that they aren't passing it on. Tai and Matt have new purpose or something, but that only makes it seem like they know something else too. Izzy's worried about something that he found at Utopia, and everyone's worried that we don't actually know what their purpose was. As if that wasn't enough, the older adults seem to know all sorts of stuff that they aren't passing on, as if they weren't trying to worry us. I think we may be in over our heads.  
Or they are. Gomamon tried to cheer his partner up, but he did not sound so confident either.  
  
TK sat on his chair and barely paid attention to his math teacher talking. They were supposed to be doing geometry, which was what he was doing on his paper to amuse himself and give the impression that he was working. What he really was doing was drawing lines through all the coincidences, all the times when Khartan had seemed to be able to plan strikes that they could not counter, and the people who had known that they were about to attack Utopia. He still had too many names.  
He started working his way around. The feeling of unease was still there, something was dreadfully wrong somewhere, and he knew that one of their friends and allies was not quite what he seemed to be.  
At the same time he was trying to put together a plan that Noriko would appreciate, something that would keep the Tokyo digidestined occupied, but not completely sure about this plan. He had to admit that Tai's plan made the most logical sense, but something was tugging at him, slowly disturbing him into wondering if perhaps whatever was going to happen was going to happen through a different mechanism. He thought that he had covered everything, but his senses were subtly telling him that something was wrong.  
Now class, please turn to page three-seventeen. His teacher intoned. TK did so, finding on the page a new diagram there. A circle, traced out perfectly. TK frowned and touched the circle, ancient and buried instincts stirring as he did. He leaned forward until he was almost falling into the image.  
TK, what does the diagram on the left hand side mean? The teacher asked.  
TK floated as if in a trance. The circle is the symbol of awareness. Senses are stretched out, filling every crack, forming an impenetrable barrier around you, becoming the limits of the seeker's perceptions. They then expand that circle until it encompasses the world to them.  
There were a few chuckles from students who clearly thought that TK had lost it. The teacher frowned at him. Kari looked at him worriedly.  
Mr. Takaishi... The teacher began.  
But the circle also symbolizes the seeker's oneness, the seeker's commitment, for in expanding his perception, the seeker connects themself with all life there to raise arms in its defense. Darkness hides in shadow, but within the circle, there are no shadows in which they can hide. In the circle they are exposed in the Light, visible to all who have eyes with which to see. TK raised one hand and was unsurprised to find it holding his staff, even though he had left it at home since returning from the digital world. There was a crackle of lightning and the ends began to glow with a golden nimbus. I can see you.  
The windows blew in with an almighty clash.  
  
  
  
Reviewplease?  
  
  



	13. Unmasked

Disclaimer: I don not own Digimon or any other products that may be referred to within.  
Author's Note: This episode is horribly clichéd and I know it. I apologize for lack of originality.  
  
**

Episode XXXVIII  
Unmasked.  
  


**_Everything you ever look for is always in the last place you look.  
_Ancient proverb  
  
TK did not even glance around. He did not have to. He merely spoke.  
Greetings. You would be the assassin Thanatos I presume. TK's voice was soft and barely carried above the sudden wails of his classmates. Bearer of the Nadir stone.  
The voice that carried back from behind him was cold and dark, as cold as a winter night, as dark and angry as anything TK had ever heard. I believe that you are Takeru Takaishi. I was sent to eliminate you.  
Kari could not help but let a scream pass her lips. Thanatos waved, and Kari turned suddenly as still as a rock, frozen in place.  
Your companions have already suffered a similar fate, frozen in time. They cannot help you. Now it's just you and me boy. What are you going to do?  
TK ignored him for a moment, his eyes passing over the cowering students and the suddenly terrified teacher, and then walked over to the wall and pulled the fire alarm. The sudden screaming of the electronic alarm cut through the noise in the other classrooms. TK did not move for a long moment after touching off the alarm, and then turned his head around and made eye contact with the black-clad Thanatos.   
Clever boy. Thanatos hissed. Go on children, scamper for your freedom while I take up some business with your classmate here.  
TK did not move as the other students poured out of the classroom. The air between him and his opponent was charged with electricity, the golden fire running down TK's staff matched equally with the light reflected off the cruelly sharpened katana in Thanatos' hand.  
Thanatos hissed as TK could see the students line up outside in confused clusters. The duel begins.  
  
Davis and Ken stood next to each other, each holding a backpack containing a very grumpy digimon, and watching the building. No flames billowed out of the windows, no amount of smoke rose to the sky. There was no sign of a fire. Behind them students alternatively grumped and cheered, played games or watched the school themselves.  
You see Yolei? Ken asked. He was paler than normal, apparently all those hours of waiting for the apocalypse to arrive were beginning to wear on him.  
Yeah, she's over there and making her way towards us. How about TK and Kari? Davis returned, pointing.  
Not a sign. Ken reported.  
Hmmm...usually the hat stands out like a lighthouse, I wonder where it is now.  
Isn't that their classroom, with the busted window? Ken asked.  
Yeah, I think it is. Davis' voice rose rapidly in pitch. Do you think something happened to them?  
  
There it is again. Jim scratched his head and handed the printout to one of the other ghostbusters. I wish Professor Takenouchi hadn't picked the worst time in the world to go on a vacation. I think he was looking for something like this.  
What is it? Somebody asked.  
Another one of those neutrino surges.  
  
Charley almost managed to get past the boss without being yelled at, as he tried to make himself scarce.  
Where's our technical support? Hiroaki Ishida bellowed as the unfortunate technician rounded a corner.  
It's coming boss. Charley rolled his eyes.  
So, we've got the biggest JSDF exercises of the year, and NOBODY is out covering them? Ishida exploded in somebody else's direction. One of the camera crew who was coming by rolled his eyes so only Charley could see. I want camera crews and reporters out there on the field. This is big stuff, eye-candy for the viewers, and I want us to have it. Everybody understand that?  
There was a ragged chorus of assent from the various offices up and down the hallway. Nobody argued with the chief when he was in one of his moods.  
Ishida bellowed again. Charley froze, considered bolting for a moment and pretending he had not heard his boss, and then sighed in resignation.   
Yes chief?  
I want to double the news patrols out on the street. Hire more people if you have to, but get more cameras out there!  
Out here? Charley could not quite contain his surprise. In Tokyo? But nothing's going on in Tokyo.  
Something will be. The big man predicted ominously. International tensions have been rising for months, then they suddenly stop. The JSDF is called out to maneuver elsewhere. My kids start coming home late. I can read the signs. Something big is coming, and it's coming here.  
I have no idea what you're talking about boss. Charley admitted truthfully.  
That doesn't matter! Now get moving!  
  
_First objective._ The voice in TK's head was speaking now, and TK felt himself seamlessly, flawlessly melding to it. _Get him out of the building!_  
Golden fire exploded out from TK, surrounding him in a golden nimbus. The fire of the Heart of the World matched with the beating of his heart, giving him wings of glowing incandescent energy that nearly blinded Kari. With a single look at the girl, still sitting frozen in the classroom, TK acted to save her. Golden fire erupted from his staff and struck Thanatos full on and hurled him out the window.  
_Second, be ready, take him down._ TK hurled himself out after him, staff whirling like a miniature tornado. He hit the game less then a second after Thanatos, but the assassin was already up and moving, leaping into the air to avoid TK's skull crushing blow.  
_Above you._ The voice snapped and TK dived aside, rolling straight toward the grassy field where the other students were assembling for just a moment before Thanatos's blade carved a hole in the ground where he had been standing. TK jumped to his feet, swinging his staff up just in time so that it could collide with the incoming blade, sending him skidding across the ground in one way, until he was almost at the feet of his classmates. But he managed to twist as he was struck, and the katana bounced and slid all the way to the stands used to watch soccer games.  
He found himself rising in the middle of a gaggle of students who rapidly ran from him, fleeing the golden nimbus of power. In the moment that he turned around however, he saw Thanatos rushing him. The assassin held out a hand and his katana spun back across the ground, lifting in the air and returning to his hand. But he did not attack with that.  
TK had only a flicker of motion as warning before the ground beneath his feet shifted. The pipes that were part of the sprinkler system erupted from the ground and encased his feet in plastic chains in an instant. Then, as Thanatos skidded to a stop two baseball bats rose from their position where they lay forgotten near the baseball field and hurtled toward TK. The staff came up, double quick and smashed both incoming targets aside, but that left him open for a moment, and Thanatos charged forward. This time TK barely managed to get his staff around, and golden fire erupted as if some giant was attempting to blow TK's nimbus out like a candle.  
Veemon...digivolve to...ExVeemon!  
Wormmon...digivolve to...Stingmon!  
Hawkmon...armor digivolve to...Shurimon, the Samurai of Sincerity!  
Thanatos jumped to one side, his katana sweeping up and around. ExVeemon screamed as the blade impacted flesh, and then, startling, he de-digivolved, collapsing as Veemon to the ground.  
What was that? Davis yelled. What's happening?  
Double Star! Two stars flashed toward Thanatos, but the lethal human merely shattered them both contemptuously with his katana, sending shards of metal flying through the air. Then he raised a hand and Shurimon went spinning away, slamming into a concrete wall some distance away just on the force of Thanatos' will.  
Look out! Veemon yelled from the ground, but it was too late. Of its own accord the nets in the soccer goals had risen in challenge, and entangled Stingmon, wings and all, sending him limply to the ground. Thanatos was there a moment later and reduced the mighty Champion to Wormmon. But before he could finish off the digimon he had to leap out of the way to avoid being speared from behind.  
TK had used the distraction to cut himself loose, and now he was on the ramapge. His staff swung, both around his head and his feet like the rotors of a heliocopter, sweeping through the air and cutting it apart like a golden storm. A moment later he was on top of Thanatos, rotating both ends of the staff to continue blocking the whirling katana, and graudally forcing Thanatos back, as the assassin struggled to counter his blows.  
And then his foot sank into the ground. TK did not even have to look down to realize what had happened. Thanatos had lured him into stepping in a sinkhole in the ground, and now he, TK, was standing up to his ankle in mud. His mobility impaired, the sudden effect of being off balance, of being too far forward, took his mind off the battle for a crucial second, and the katana came around and tossed TK's staff out of his hand. Thanatos refused to halt, his katana coming up to stab TK in the heart.  
_Crash!_ TK had only a glimpse of motion before Thanatos was broadsided by a silver sedan flying past at high speed. The assassin, hit unawares on the side, rolled up the hood, jumped over the windshield and landed on his feet, instantly diving to the ground to avoid what appeared to be a car door fly by at chest height.  
Adam was standing down the field, in the parking lot, one hand raised. His western sword was in one hand, the katana was in his belt. There was a moment when he and Thanatos could just as easily have been statues, and then they charged at each other like maddened beasts.  
Halfway across the intervening space Adam twisted and the katana came out and landed in his left hand. Now he was holding a sword in each hand, and the effect was devastating. He was surrounded by a whirling hurricane of steel, and Thanatos' katana slipped off those whirling blades as if he was striking at a forcefield. There were no tricks in this battle, the concentration on the bladework was total, the eyes never left each other.   
TK held his breath as the unreality of the situation penetrated at his skull. The two combatants appeared to be standing still, holding their breath. It was around them, around their perfectly still centers that the blades orbited, striking out and slamming down. TK could watch their legs move, their waist turn, their arms pound and spin, but it seemed almost as if the bodies of the two swordsmen were simply sitting there.  
Then they began to spin, to jump and fly through the air, rebounding off of each other as if they were merely rubber artifacts, massive vertically oriented trampolines. Aerial gymnastics ended with the clash of sword and sword, the thunder of blade against blade as the two warriors smashed into each other with the regularity of a hammer and an anvil. Sword to sword they clashed, sparks illuminating the yard.  
Then they stopped, the two prowling around each other like stalking tigers. Swords extended low, eyes focused, they adopted low, wary poses, each waiting for the move on the behalf of the other that would signify the return to battle, the movement that would mean that conflict would be renewed at last. They moved with a suddenness, a fluidity that left TK breathless, even though he had been watching for it from the moment they paused.  
No choreographed set of dancers could ever have done better. The footwork, the armwork, the symphony of the blades slamming against each other was beyond anything that TK could ever have believed. Even had they known where their opponent was they could not have reacted faster. For long moments they seemed deadlocked, equal skill matched with equal skill, and then, with one smooth movement, Thanatos made a strike.  
He overreached.  
There was only a few centimeters difference, but that was all that was needed. And in that gap, in that sudden dirth of motion, Adam came forward like a spear. Thanatos gasped as he felt the blade pierce his heart, entering his chest like a stick entering through the water. His own sword fell from nerveless fingers and he stood, half bent backwards, frozen in time for a long moment, eyes locked.  
TK heard him hiss.  
They didn't tell you? Adam's voice was filled with dark amusement. Then you are doubly betrayed.  
Thanatos tried to say something, but the only thing that happened was a croak, and then he slid limply to the ground, already dead.  
Leave TK. Go find your friends. You really don't want to explain this to the police. Adam told TK, not looking away.  
TK began to back away and leave the abandoned field, looking for the other students, but as he did he caught sight of something out of the corner of his eye. Adam reaching down, removing a bracelet with a shining black jewel from Thanatos's left wrist, and fitted it on himself.  
  
So talk about a lucky break. Ken whispered as TK sat with them in the park. School had been canceled for the rest of the day as the police tried to sort everything out. All the students who saw had their memory wiped? That's pretty impressive. Did you do that?  
No, all I did was almost get killed. TK grumbled.  
Hey, that guy would have wiped the floor with all the rest of us. You saw what he did to our digimon. We wouldn't have done any better. Ken leaned back and relaxed. In a little tent in the shade five digimon sat recuperating while the five digidestined whom they belonged to sat around and tried to keep a watch on things.   
But man, you're lucky. Davis remarked, tossing rocks at a nearby pool. If your Mom had found out what you were doing I bet she would have freaked. Not to mention the fact that the principal would have sent you home forever. And I think I mean forever by that.  
I don't think so. I think he would be too scared to do that. Yolei smiled and gripped Ken's hand tighter.  
I don't think I could have handled that. Having students staring at me like I was some sort of freak all the time. Always being alone. I don't think I would've taken it so well, it's sort of the thing I don't deal with very well. TK sighed and looked down to where Kari lay, sleeping, in his lap.  
Well it was a good thing that Adam was there to save your butt. Davis muttered, tossing another rock.  
The thing that bothers me is why did he attack now? Do they know that we know about them. I'd really like to get in contact with some of the others, but they're all busy. So the question is what do we do next? Ken looked around and seemed to get a lack of response.  
But TK had suddenly grown still. In his mind something was beginning to unlock, something that was very suspicious indeed.  
  
Willis was jerked awake as they returned to New York. He had been sleeping fitfully on the airplane as they roared home, as Team Eagle, reassembled again, began their trip back to their home base. Now he was startled into consciousness by the thud as the plane hit the tarmac. It appeared that everyone else had been sleeping too, because he was surrounded by confused faces.  
Steve walked into the cabin, grinning at them tightly. All right everybody. Back to the Aerie for you. You're going to need lots of sleep.  
What about you? Willis groaned.  
I spent the whole trip on the plane, and slept the whole way. The Thunderbirds and the Aztecs both called while you guys were unconscious by the way. They say that they think in the case of a repeat of the World Tour that they can secure the southern and western portions of the US.  
Willis forced the sleep from his mind. That's good because we got hit hardest back then, and we may need the assistance again. I would like to keep this from turning into an all night affair. Michael, how did it go in coordinating with New York all night?  
The New York teams are ready to go. We'll have coverage of the city at least. Michael looked around and yawned. Anything else happen while we were asleep Steve?  
Well, maybe, I'm not really sure about that. The European Legion has finally gotten their act together, so we may be able to draw upon their manpower if everything works out. The problem is that I really don't expect everything to work out?  
And what if we have to get to Tokyo in a hurry? Willis continued running down his mental checklist.   
Well, we're the ones with the plane. I guess it'll be up to us. Are you ready to do some major flying?  
I guess so. I would really appreciate another option, but I guess that this is something that we usually don't get.  
  
Back at the familiar park bench, Chikara and Hideo were sitting next to each other once again, staring at the ominous signs of clouds on the horizon.  
We've alerted our contacts in the military in other countries. They're going on high alert. Hideo Ishiguro reported, his eyes never losing their seriousness.  
Our contacts here are going underground. Chikara Hida replied, mirroring the others concern. Whatever the opposition is up to, it's going to be big. Can we stop it?  
Hideo admitted calmly. But we can help those kids to save the world. Everything after that is optional.  
  
So, you know where everyone is? Tai asked Izzy as they watched over the computer screens in Izzy's now empty apartment. How accurate is this system?  
Pretty accurate. We keep track of where people are because they tell us. So, how's living home alone?  
Pretty good actually. I'm glad you got us those tickets. Now my parents think that you're some kind of saint, and they're outside of the territory we expect to be attacked.  
Yeah. The problem is that not all of the parents left. Ken's parents are still in town, so is Joe's family, and Yolei's and Davis's, and Matt's Dad. That gives us a whole lot of vulnerable spots.  
Hopefully we won't even have to be concerned about it.  
Hopefully Tai, but I learned long ago not just to close my eyes and hope for the best. Izzy leaned back in his chair.  
So do you know where TK and Kari are? I could give them a heck of a shock.  
Izzy frowned. Actually, I don't. You know, that's sort of odd. TK called me a bit ago and told me that he wanted some time off alone, and he didn't want to tell me where he was going. He said it was important though, and I couldn't find him if I tried. So I just assumed he was up to something important. Do you think they're in trouble?  
Knowing those two, probably. I guess they decided to shake off their watchers anyway. But they'll take care of it.  
Izzy replied after a moment.  
  
So how old is Adam? TK asked Master Ishiguro as the black belt continued punishing a punching bag.  
I honestly don't know. He just sort of appeared on the world scene fully formed. I swear he hasn't aged in the past few years at all. It might be something to do with the Philosopher's Stone. Hideo punched the bag so hard that it practically screamed. I know that the Divine Blade keeps me younger than I should have been. I just don't know how much that effect is amplified by the Philosopher's Stone.  
So, does anyone know anything about him.  
Yeah. No family, he never talks about it. He's a bit strange, disappearing sometimes for months at a time, but reappearing at strange intervals. Why?  
Well, I don't know. He acts a little...well...strange, if you know what I mean.  
Do I ever. I blame that little hike that Janero disappeared on. Hideo smiled at the memory of something before going back to pummeling the bag.  
What hike? TK asked, his suspicions flaring up again.  
Well, there was this 'hike' they went on. I got the story from some of the other Helios members, especially since it happened before my time in the organization. The thing was that there were three of them. Adam, Janero Chou, and...what was her name? Oh yeah, Jessica somebody. Anyway, they went off on this expedition and something happened. Janero disappeared, Adam reported that he was going off to 'fight a greater evil' or something like that. Jessica went with him. Adam returned, but he was really different, changed a lot.  
Changed how?  
Well, he was a darker person. He brooded a lot more, disappeared a lot more often, and drew away from all those who had been his friends. They barely recognized him. But at the same time his tactical and strategic abilities grew to almost supernatural proportions. I don't think any of us truly know what happened to him there.  
Is it possible that they were attacked, and someone wiped his memory? TK asked.  
Hideo suddenly sounded thoughtful. Why, you suspect something?  
Let's just say that there have been a few coincidences too many. And that bad guys can do that to someone.  
Not to Jan they couldn't have. His mind was too resilient, too well trained in the service of the Ancient. The question is, could they have done it to Adam then?  
I don't know. TK answered truthfully.  
Master Ishiguro frowned. You know, I think I will keep a closer eye on our prodigal son. He's damn good, sometimes almost too good.  
We'll keep track of him too. TK stood up and Kari followed him out of the door of the high school gym.  
Kari asked.  
Beyond bad. TK responded.  
  
Mimi and Joe sat opposite Matt and Sora at the cafe table, checking out the avenue that they were on, one that led straight through Roppongi. They were sitting there to occupy a major traffic thoroughfare for street traffic, their digimon hiding out on the roof while they watched passerby with silent, watchful eyes.  
Is this all worth it? Mimi asked after a moment. I mean are we really accomplishing something.  
I think that Tai knows what he's doing. Matt vouched.  
Everyone stared at him for a moment in pure disbelief.  
I can't believe that Matt just said that. Joe murmured to Mimi in a whisper just loud enough for everyone else to overhear.  
Ah Joe, your lack of faith in me is disturbing. Matt grinned at the tall blue-haired boy.  
Sora rolled her eyes. So have we managed to find anything suspicious? I mean, I certainly haven't seen anything and we've been wandering the city for an hour.  
I know. Matt replied. Which backs up Tai's original theory, it may not involve Tokyo at all. Everything seems to check out and be normal. The problem is that if that's the case they may be doing what Oikawa and MaloMyostismon did, pulling us out of Tokyo so they can do something here.  
So everyone's thought of that problem, I take it. Joe muttered.  
Yeah. We'd need real firepower to hold him off then. Matt grumbled.  
Mimi and Joe exchanged a secretive look but said nothing.  
  
So what's the problem TK? Kari asked. They were sitting on a bench in an empty part of one of the many seaside parks in Odaiba, a bench that was conveniently placed out in the middle of the beach, so that TK could make sure that nobody was coming close enough to overhear them. The waves lapping against the shore made a soothing sound, but it also helped mask the nature of their conversation.  
Well think about it. I was wondering, if there was something like the Dark Spore active, where would you put it? In the place where it does the most damage, right?  
Of course. Gatomon sat up in Kari's lap. That's only common sense.  
So I was wondering who could possibly have access to enough information to do us actual maximum damage, and I came up with a few names.  
Any of the digidestined would do. Kari pointed out.  
I realized that, but I realized something else too. Do you remember what Ken said after MaloMyostismon was defeated? As long as those kids keep their dreams alive the dark spores will remain dormant. I did some backchecking, and I think that the presence of our crest causes that problem to be non-existent. Every digidestined now has a crest, and I think we would notice if those crests stopped glowing. And as long as those crests keep glowing, there's no way for a dark spore to activate.  
So you think it's another digidestined.  
No, that wouldn't be very helpful either. The entire Aerie is protected by the aura unconsciously projected by Willis, so that's out of the question. I don't think that even Izzy understands all the things that happened after the Enigma affair. That leaves the people at the top of the European Legion and the Australian Avengers, who are the other largest groups. The problem is that I don't really see that much damage being done by taking over a member of one of those groups. TK paused a moment.  
All right, so let's say I admit that your logic is valid. Kari grinned. So then what do I say? What can I say?  
Well, I think that it might imply that there is another member close to us who has the dark spore in him. TK mused.  
And you suspect Adam obviously. Any particular reason?  
Well, he's too...convenient.  
Don't we want him to be convenient? Patamon asked, sounding confused.  
Maybe, maybe not. TK leaned forward and spilled the small mammal off of his hat and down into his hands. It could be a really big mistake too.  
Gatomon sounded curious.  
Well, let's think about it. Our biggest ally just happens to be in a position to get us out of school and let us run around Tokyo on our own. Just happens to have access to the same computer equipment and technology that allows us to accomplish half of what we have accomplished. He just happens to be Izzy's friend, and part of a super-secret organization that stands up to a huge corporate menace. He just happens to know how important we are, and he happens to believe us too. He, by chance, is supernaturally powerful, having the same powers normally restricted to crestbearers, which he definitely is not. He has a convenient independent fortune that he's bought equipment for us on. He's an excellent swordsman, and he just happens to be available in time to save me from an unpleasant demise.  
So what started all these suspicions TK? I agree that it's a bit strange, but everything around us has been strange. Kari stared at TK seriously.  
Well, it started after the fight today. You see, when he won, he said something weird. Thanatos seemed to recognize him the moment he was killed.  
Which makes sense. He does hold the other Philosopher's Stone. Kari pointed out, clearly starting to play Devil's advocate.   
Yes, except for something that Tai told me from the first time they met Thanatos. You see Tai told me that Thanatos had fled because he had not wanted to fight Adam and Master Ishiguro at the same time. But the problem with that is that, according to Tai, Thanatos mentioned Adam's name in the fight. I can only assume that Thanatos would not only recognize that the stone was there, but that he would know what Adam looked like.  
Okay, I'll give you that, but maybe they have a history. Maybe they've met somewhere before. Kari pointed out logically.  
Maybe, but something that happened after that captured my attention. Adam said 'They didn't tell you? Then you are twice betrayed.' That got me thinking. Obviously he's referring to whoever employed Thanatos, but then the question becomes what would they know that they would tell their hired assassin? Obviously something about Adam, but why would it be betrayal if they refused to tell Thanatos something? The thing that makes the most sense there is that the darkness knew that Adam was working for something that made him more powerful than Thanatos. And why would they know that unless they knew who he was working for?  
And what you're saying is that it makes most sense that they would only know if he was working for them. Kari pointed out. The problem is that I can see several different arguments that could have the same effect.  
Yes, but what I was really wondering was whether or not they have the same probability. I agree that he could have been up to something peculiar that would have allowed him to count under that, and would have given him the insight to understand how important we might be, but sometimes the coincidences are a bit startling. TK looked up at the sky and watched a seagull fly overhead.  
That's an awfully loose argument TK. Kari squeezed his hand.  
But then other things began to occur to me. Adam knew that we were going to attack the Utopia central facility. And that's where we got ambushed.  
He protected us. Gatomon pointed out.  
But then he disappeared. He didn't leave with us. What was he doing in the building after we left? He reappears the next day, calm and easy, like nothing had happened, but did something really happen in there? Once again, I don't know. Do you? And then it occurs to me that he's known about most of our forays into the city. The only times we managed to thwart an attack was because Tai got suspicious.  
But lots of attacks have stopped since then. Kari countered.  
Yes, but the patrols have been run by the police, and Adam has no real authority over the police. After all, he only has authority over the Helios people. So the element of surprise forced Khartan to close up shop early.  
He did alert us to Utopia's machinations. And they are dirty. Kari pointed out again.  
Yes, again he did, but he may have realized that it could have been fruitless to hide it. It would only take so long before we stumbled upon the owners of the trucks that were transporting digimon. Or I might have mentioned it to my father, and then where would he have been. Dad's behavior would have tipped me and Matt off that something funny was going on, and that's that. Plus, with Master Ishiguro sniffing around, I bet he was worried that he might blow his cover. TK paused dramatically. And then something else happened. After he defeated Thanatos, he took that Nadir stone. The stone that made Adolf Hitler from a monster into a demon. Now how bad is that compared to what else we've seen?  
So you think that they were attacked on their hike. Janero and the other girl got killed, and he was implanted with a dark spore. Kari frowned. It seems a little shaky.  
Well maybe it is, but there is one way to find out. TK stood up resolutely.  
I know but I don't like it.  
  
I could really use Gennai's help here. Izzy murmured.  
Well, get over it, you don't have it. Yolei snapped. Apparently spending two hours searching programs for viruses had not improved her temper any.  
I know, but it's really awkward programming all of this by hand. Izzy looked at his screen angrily. These warnings should alert me if anything goes wrong, but I don't know how accurate they'll be. And since I don't know exactly what's going to go wrong, I'm not sure whether or not to do anything different.  
So what's so important that you want me to hack your way into five different internet lines and a satellite? Yolei demanded impatiently, staring at her computer. I hope it's not a game.  
Oh believe me, it's not. It's just a signal program. Ken responded, looking up from his own computer terminal.  
Well, what does it signal?  
You wouldn't believe me if I told you. Ken gave her a slight smile and a shake of his head.  
Yolei stared at him for a moment, temporarily exasperated with her crush, and then turned back to her computer terminal, muttering darkly, while Ken and Izzy exchanged knowing looks over her head.  
  
Reserves are on standby. Willis reported, as he shook the sleep out of his head.  
Odaiba one? Michael pulled his wheeled chair back from the computer and leaned back to catch a glimpse of his best computer programmer.  
Odaiba is ready to go anytime they hear anything. The question is when they're going to hear something. Bad news is already starting to get around. Even the military is starting to move, and that's making me nervous. If we start fighting each other in the middle of New York, there's not going to be much left of the city. Willis sat down on the chair heavily.  
How're the terror twins? Michael asked, trying to steer the conversation away from the morbid and gloomy path it was threatening to take.  
Strangely enough, they're quiet. I guess they understand that the situation is deteriorating, and they aren't giving me a hard time. If it wasn't for the emergency in progress, I might grow to like this. Willis smiled.  
Well, don't get too used to it. Michael turned back to his computer, and waited for the sounds of doom to greet him.  
  
Kari stuck her head in the open door.  
Well, he did say we could come in if he wasn't here. Patamon, the familiar tension grabbing at his stomach, had decided to hover in the air instead of sitting on TK's head.  
And he did give us the key, so let's go in and look around. TK pointed.  
Kari shrugged and together the four of them walked into the room, looking around at the familiar decoration. A quick search of the bedroom and bathroom area revealed that nobody was there.  
So where is there something left? Kari asked.  
The weapons room. TK pointed at the two massive sliding doors.  
Kari shrugged, trying to conceal the inner tension she was experiencing. She walked slowly over to the doors, once stopping out of fright as someone on the floor below yelled something at someone else, and then stopping before the door. Carefully, with a hand that was only slightly trembling, she slid the door open.  
The room was empty, but there was something different. The two cabinets farthest away from the door had been tilted out into the room, and behind them, previously hidden, was a door.  
Kari called, but there was no response. Shrugging off her own unease, she peered in through the doors and gasped.  
Inside was an old style study, but it was filled with not only books in polished walnut bookcases but also with high tech computer systems that Kari had only seen before in the Digital World.  
TK looked around. I don't even know what half this stuff is. He crossed over to one interesting looking circular contraption and pushed the dark screen on its side. Immediately it lit up, and an instant later a holographic image popped up, in perfect 3D rendering. TK did not recognize the map, but he instantly knew that this was technology beyond anything he had ever seen before.  
What is this place? He whispered to Patamon.  
Well whatever it is, you were right about something. Gatomon pointed out while she examined what appeared to be a massive hologram projector in the middle of the room with controls that TK could barely look at without becoming confused. All the lights were off but Gatomon still prowled around it like it might explode at any moment.  
What's that Gatomon? Kari asked, looking at a book she had taken down with a faraway manner in her voice.  
Whoever this guy is, he's certainly hiding something. If there is a traitor in our midst, I would bet on him. The white cat stared angrily at the contraption she was pacing, tail twitching with irritation.  
I don't think so. Kari responded, still with that faraway voice.  
Gatomon rounded on her partner. Why not?  
Kari handed over the book wordlessly.  
As TK took it he realized that it was similar to a photo album, but a few glances at a few pages as they flipped past showed him that he was not holding a collection of photographs, but rather of high quality pencil sketches, several of them of different people and different digimon. Then he got to the page Kari's finger marked.  
It was a large drawing taking up both sides of the open page. There was a simple caption in clear, elegant script running across the top.  
_Friends Forever.  
_ The picture was what captured TK's imagination. The figure in the center was unmistakably Adam, but he had his arm around a tall Caucasian brunette, and a boy that looked like her was sitting halfway in both of their laps, balanced on their knees. But what shocked him was that, on the boy's head, perched in a position so familiar that TK could have drawn it blindfolded, was a Patamon, who appeared to be arguing with a Gatomon on the woman's shoulder. And behind them...  
There was a tall man looking like Master Ishiguro, resting one hand on an Agumon who was standing on a very flat looking Gomamon, who appeared to be arguing with another tall man, this one with dark skin. A man of medium height with a Tentomon hovering behind him was talking with a slightly taller Chinese girl who had a Palmon by her feet. That Palmon was turned around talking to a Biyomon passionately attached to a woman with pale white skin and hair as black as midnight. A blonde haired girl who looked familiar to TK was laughing and pointing as a Gabumon tripped over a dizzy looking Veemon. The Veemon appeared to belong to a boy who was cringing with one hand over his eyes, sitting on a Leomon's great shoulder. An Andromon was nearby also laughing. There were many others, people and digimon who TK did not know, was not able to identify, all of them lying around, laughing, talking, being friends. And there, standing behind Adam and the woman next to him, one hand on both of their shoulders, was Gennai, smiling into the picture, as if he was the only one who could see the artist.  
The door! Gatomon, who had not seen the picture, suddenly exclaimed.  
TK closed the book with a slam, turning around to face the doorway and realized what Gatomon had been talking about. From the angle they were at they could barely see through the door, but the light coming in had changed, the tint of the color had changed as well, and they could all see that whatever they were looking at was clearly not the room they had just come from.  
What's out there? TK asked. Patamon, obedient as always flew out the door. A moment later they could hear him squeak in surprise. Not waiting for another moment, TK flew out the door with Gatomon and Kari directly behind him, and stopped dead.  
He was vaguely aware that the place they were in was no longer the same, that it was much bigger, much more decorated, but that hardly seemed to make any dent in his awareness. What was occupying him was a giant window that stretched across the entire room, allowing him to see outside. The view was magnificent and breathtaking.  
He was overlooking a gigantic city, a huge city, made up of golden spires and pinnacles of silver and ivory that loomed tall, rising towards the heavens. The entire thing was huge, TK could tell that from the height he was looking down on the rising buildings of the city itself he was taller than any skyscraper in Tokyo, was so tall that he had no choice but to step back from the window to avoid the momentary rush of vertigo. Everywhere he looked he could see what looked like pieces of castles and towers melded seamlessly with the most futuristic technology. Giant golden buildings glowing with light shone toward the heavens, while around them he could see specks dart to and fro.  
No, not specks, he realized after a moment. Not specks at all, but digimon. Hundreds and thousands of digimon, buzzing around in circles, flying back and forth as if it was the most natural thing in the world. And there, almost directly beneath them TK could see massive gardens and terraces, hundreds of meters up in the sky, and he could see people, human beings, walking back and forth among the greenery. It was the most beautiful, the most awe inspiring sight he had ever experienced.  
I told you there was no problem. The suddenness of the voice behind him nearly gave TK a heart attack, and all four of them spun around with expressions somewhere between a terrified animal caught in the headlights of an oncoming car, and a kid with their hand in the cookie jar.  
Adam was standing behind them, smiling broadly, gesturing grandly out to the city beyond them. Beside him were a handful of people that TK recognized from the brief sketch, a tall man who looked a little like Master Ishiguro, the brunette woman Adam had been holding, and the boy who had been sitting on their knee. The laughing blonde woman, serious and composed now, but with laughter still in her eyes. The medium height man with dark hair, his Tentomon buzzing around behind him. And TK could see clearly that it was _his_ Tentomon, not the one TK had known for half his life. And there was Gennai, looking much the same as the last time they had seen him, but not suspended in a column of rainbow light, but actually there, and looking more solid than TK had ever seen him before.  
Welcome to the Basiton of the Light. Adam's voice rang out in the corridor, echoing like the blare of trumpets. Fortress of Ages. Welcome to Citadel.  



	14. Fortress of Ages

Disclaimer: I do not own digimon. I lay no claim to any artifact that appears in this story.  
  
**

Episode XXXIX  
Fortress of Ages

**  
  
TK stared. They had descended from the lofty hall in a group, entering a vast courtyard, roofed by glass to prevent the elements from entering, filled with golden sunlight, and people and creatures that he could not even begin to name. He recognized what appeared to be a Terriermon actually wearing a uniform of sorts standing in one corner at attention. He recognized a huge Mekanorimon standing on another side of the courtyard. In between here was what TK could not place, huge crowds of digimon meandering through the green shrubs and blooming flowers, some looking like insanely powerful Megas, some looking almost like they were only Champions, but they all carried themselves confidently.  
Asked one of the digimon that neither TK nor Kari could place, a huge mechanized version of Leomon. Do you want one of the upper rooms opened? The massive digimon was standing so close that TK could smell the highly polished black and silver metal, but the digimon appeared to be paying little attention to them, almost as if this was an ordinary occasion.  
No thanks. Adam replied. We'll use one of the council chambers.  
As you wish. The mechanized digimon moved off. Adam and Gennai, now walking side by side, led their unlikely contingent off to one side, approaching a marble encrusted wall. Kari marveled at the smooth surface, and was still marveling when Gennai approached a darkened patch of the wall and placed his hand around it. There was a slight tingle through all of them as the wall glowed for a second, and then it slid apart, revealing a well-lit opening. None of the other beings in the room seemed to find this at all unusual, as if it happened every day, which, TK supposed, maybe it did.  
The hallway they entered was long and white, not decorated and not green, merely functional, but the plain architecture also held in it a majesty that impressed Kari greatly as they entered it fully, leaving the sunlight and the garden behind. The plain white walls almost seemed to shift as she approached them, changing as she touched them into a different spectrum of colors.  
Greetings Gennai, Andrel, company...the Council Westwatch has been cleared as requested. TK, Kari, Gatomon and Patamon jerked around at the suddenness of the voice. There, standing in a recess in the wall, just out of the sight of the door a tall digimon, looking like a blackened, taller and meaner version of Andromon stood almost at attention, speaking as though he were a great deal farther away than he was.  
Thank you HighAndromon. Gennai spoke. Did they have a chance to provide refreshments?  
I do believe that Jijimon said something to that effect. HighAndromon did not even turn at that question.  
Very good. Gennai continued walked, before he asked Adam, So, did we get out of that godawful mess on time?  
Barely. I have three squadron of fliers perched on mountain tops all over the western half of the continent. If that fleet twitches, I'll know about it as soon as you can blink. If they break through containment they'll be able to harass our supply lines, but we'll still have them pinned against the ocean, and they really want to avoid that this time.  
Gennai appeared to be considering something for a long moment before he turned back to look at the tall woman. Do we have anything that we could borrow for coverage on this?  
Well, that depends. I have a squadron of Yanmamon cooling their heels back at the transit point, and a Parrotmon that just got off the injured list, but that's all. I checked.  
What about the 587th? Adam asked.  
Still off-duty until we can figure out what happened to their planes. We should have them back in the air in a week, but they won't add much to the line of battle.  
Ahead of them there was a whoosh and a door that Kari had not even seen slid open, revealing a plain room with spartan decorations but comfortable black chairs sitting around a black-painted wooden table. Around the side of the room complicated electronic devices remained sunk into the corners. TK brushed up against one, looked down at the plain green screen, and then kept walking, unable to determine its function.  
I suppose you have questions. Gennai stated as he dropped into the head chair, the others dropping into chairs around them. Upon examining the chairs closer TK suddenly realized that some of them were clearly a different size, pandering to digimon rather than humans.  
First, I suspect that they're hungry. The woman pushed a button to the side of the tray and watched without surprise as a portion of the table shimmered and a large plate of breads, cheeses and vegetables materialized in the middle of the table. TK and Kari felt a little nervous about taking food so soon after their scare, but apparently Patamon and Gatomon had no such reservations.  
Well, we do have some questions. TK started, hesitantly.  
And we have some answers. But I guess I should fill you in. Adam stood up, and for a moment TK was suddenly aware of how different he was here, at the heart of his power.  
Everything I told you about the essence crystals, about the formation of Helios Ascendent was completely true. Every part of that. I suppose that Hideo told you about that hike that we took that Jan and Jessica never returned from.  
TK and Kari both nodded.  
Well, I guess I'm elected to tell the story. See, it starts with the Digital World. As you know the Digital World is not simply one world, but many, thousands of worlds connected to each other through a variety of portals and gateways. The only thing that unites them is that each world is populated by the creatures we call digimon. Digimon are peculiar, they are beings whose substance is created out of electronically stored and communicated information. Today that means binary computer data, but before then it was something else, information taken directly from human brains. If you think about it, a human mind is like a giant computer, an efficient computer, but still a giant one. It leaks some information, and this appears to be where that data collects, turning into the basis for the creatures we call digimon. This of course creates a whole series of problems for those creatures, because they are shaped and influenced by beings they have never met.  
We believe what happened is that these creatures roamed the land as souls, as spiritual essences, beings in a land of thought, until the electronic revolution reached the computer age. At that point the worlds changed. Electronics were a lot less efficient, and soon the building blocks for digital life lay scattered about. Then computer programmers on many different worlds began to construct artificial life programs. These programs interconnected with each other, providing the host bodies for these entities to dwell in. Then things got complicated. It's nearly impossible for computer programmers to create a soul, but that's essentially what they tried to do. The problem was all they managed to draw down into the more complex digimon were those essences of thought that had been buzzing around for hundreds of years. They were not uniform, not quite what the programmers wanted, some were dreams, some nightmares. When digital information multiplied by so much that the digimon multiplied by the thousands, they spilled over into many different digital planes through the gateways, always seeking worlds where they could replenish themselves from digital data.   
The problem was that as soon as they could organize, they immediately went to war. Good fighting evil, order fighting chaos, digimon running around randomly killing each other. On dozens of now separate planes there was now war. The great Sovereign Guardians who originally came into being to protect the Digital World were powerless, more or less confined to a single worldplane. They attempted a desperate maneuver, to assemble to them an army of good digimon, but the problem was that the good digimon really were not good fighters, and were not ready for it. Within a year the forces of evil had discovered the true nightmares, those creatures who were beyond digimon, powers of evil that dwelled in different worldplanes far away from your reality, who bent these evil digimon to their will almost as soon as those digimon emerged in those other worlds. Together, those armies of the great evil ones, digimon reinforced with demons and armies of the wicked from a hundred worldplanes had laid waste to the majority of the planes, had conquered their way across the Interconnected Worlds, had sent the forces of Light into hiding, and had conquered this plane.  
We have no true understanding of how the Digital World itself works, but all we understand is that somehow it attempted to act to redress the shift in the balance. By some miracle the Sovereign Guardians were given the ability to create a single being who might have the power to aid them. From their experiment was born Gennai, a being whose power already rivaled that of the Gods. But the Digital World was wiser and far more powerful than the Sovereign Guardians, for it recognized that only by reuniting digimon with their makers, by uniting dreams and dreamers could a force be created strong enough to shift the balance.  
Across a hundred worlds the Digital Plane sought out those who might be made to serve its purposes. And it grabbed them, perfectly ordinary children and adults yanked out of their lifestyles and planted into the Digital World. I still shudder to think how many arrived in the middle of enemy territory and were hunted to extinction. It came for me, for Jessica and for Jan here on our hike, about twenty years ago. One minute we were walking along, the next we were seized by a great force, and hauled into a strange world. We weren't the only ones of course. Cortell here arrived the same day, and Amanda and Mike, the kid, arrived almost in the same place. We of course did not speak the same language, because it turned out we were from different versions of Earth. But it was not half-an-hour before we were attacked.  
The battle had a foregone conclusion. The attackers were rookie and champion digimon used to attacking unarmed humans. But we had between us four swords, and we had Jan, wielding the awesome power of the Divine Blade, and myself with the Ascendent half of the Philosopher's Stone. We tossed around the digimon like they were in a hurricane, so impressing a group of freedom fighters that they took us in, no questions asked, and took us directly to their leader, Gennai.  
As it turned out later all the bearers of what would later become crests arrived on the same day, and we all arrived in more or less the same place. Whether this was the will of the Digital Plane, or just sheer dumb luck, I still don't know. But what Jan and I discovered was interesting. The essence crystals occur often in the Digital World, perhaps because they seem to be some sort of accumulation of sentient thought, and perhaps because the Digital World is the center of where sentient thought seems to go. Well, they had a strange property. Although it took years to teach one how to use the stone the way we were using it, a human, concentrating, could use it to give power to a digimon.   
The Digital World is modeled almost exclusively on a computer system. Power is two things, memory and processing power. The more program you can run, the more things a digimon can do, the more capacity they have for multi-tasking. With an essence crystal it appears that a human can donate some of their mind, allow a digimon to run their program on the dormant processing power of the human mind. This allowed them to become larger, in essence to digivolve. The second thing we discovered is that we could use them to Program. By that I mean that, as Izzy's probably told you, programs in the Digital World have more effect than programming in the real world. A programmer, using the essence crystal to run the program not only on a computer device but on their own mental power can create anything they concentrate on. In essence they can do anything they think of, simply by programming. Prolonged exposure to the crystal and to the programming method allows a human being to change, to become even more powerful. First they learn how to write the code inside their head, and then they learn how to make things happen simply by willing them to happen. And then finally they learn to Program without crystals, without anything but their disciplined mind.  
Of course, when we found out that this works in the Real worlds as well as the Digital, I think you can imagine the sudden realization of how much power we had stumbled into. Real world power is not quite processing power, but once you learn in the Digital World, you can learn in the Real world.  
But the battle was far from over. Together we managed to liberate certain areas of the place that is now Server. And then we managed to free File Island. On File Island we managed to capture enough essence crystals that we were actually able to do something with them. We were able to create the first digivices, mechanical devices designed through elaborate programming to channel the energies of an essence crystal, making it easier to digivolve, easier to Program. It was there, in the vast fiery chambers of that factory that Andromon guards in his free time that we first discovered the true nature of the power we had been entrusted to guard.  
It seems that over thousands of years the positive energies of sentient minds as well as their negative counterparts have built up. Together they have filled a higher plane, a place filled with nothing put pure positive emotion and intellect. But, when we connect to that place what comes down to us is the same energy we used to Program, the same energy that allowed us to communicate with our digimon. Some digimon and some humans showed affinities to different types of energy, and we began creting devices that would allow us to channel that awesome, near-infinite power down into human hosts, and from them into digimon. Our first crest as they came to be called was given to Jan, to him we gave the connection of courage that allowed him to draw upon the powers of the higher planes, and to allow his friend Agumon to draw off his power and become MetalGreymon for the first time. But it also gave Jan that ability, however unlooked for, to essentially digivolve himself to the Champion level, where he was more powerful than ever before. Digivolved humans, we quickly discovered, were much more powerful than their digimon counterparts.  
But even with the crests, it still wasn't enough. We needed something powerful enough that we could drive off the forces of darkness. It was clear that this would be a long war, we had already discovered that we were not aging in the Digital World, which we later discovered was a side effect of the fact that time was passing much faster, and that we were aging as if we were still in the Real world. We were also fortunate that the forces of Darkness were fighting each other much more than they were fighting us. So we took the most insane risk we ever had. We had discovered four slightly different strands of power, all insanely powerful, all connecting almost directly to the heart of the Light. So we took the final step and created a conjunction. Two digimon were found in egg form who showed a remarkable affinity to two of the powers, and they were injected forcefully with a shard of attuned essence crystal. It was quite possibly the most insane risk that any of us ever took, and I'm not terribly proud of it. Together those two digimon, a Patamon and a Gatomon were bonded to the bearers of Hope and Light, those with the greatest affinity to those mighty powers. Together they were able to emerge as digimon more powerful than any we had ever seen before. Along with them we were able to finally challenge the full might of the greater powers of darkness.  
But I mention only two of the four powers that we found. The other two were more difficult to bear, and more difficult to control, because they involved both great evil and great temptation. Gennai and I myself chose to take upon us these crests because we showed the greatest affinity for them. But when a crest is forged, digimon are required to stabilize it. As you might suppose only a truly special digimon can hope to withstand being bound to a power of this magnitude. So we took our most powerful digimon and bonded to them ourselves. Gennai bears the crest of power, and is bound to Zhuqaimon and Ebonwumon, the Soverign Guardians of the south and the north. I in turn am bound to Azulongmon and Baihumon. These of course were the original versions, there are many other versions of the Sovereign Guardians, and the Azulongmon you met was not the Azulongmon bonded to me, but was rather the reformatted embodiment of the Guardian of the East. And that completed it, we had created the four greater seals by uniting those crests with special balancing crests, designed to keep us from going insane.  
With that kind of power we created a new world, the world on which you now stand, and built Citadel. We spent twenty years driving the Darkness away from the immediate lands, but we did not threaten the powers of the Lords of Darkness at all. Then we disappeared for ten years, waiting for the appropriate time.  
Ten years later, during another civil war between the powers of Darkness, we re-emerged, but this time we were greater than we ever had been. I have abbreviated the story of fifty years of war already, the hundreds, the thousands of deaths. The annihilation of whole cities, the death of digimon and humans alike standing up to evil. Our desparate battles and campaigns across the Digital World, bringing along with us the greatest armies the world had ever seen. But this time it was different. The army we brought out numbered in the hundreds of thousands, disciplined, well-led, energetic and ready for battle. This time we were covered in the shadows of flying fighter planes and huge floating fortresses as well as flying digimon. This time we had more human-digimon pairs than ever before.  
The war raged for fifty more years, with us gradually taking more and more territory, worlds falling to us, rebelling against their dark overlords to join our cause. Armies were assembled that dwarfed the might of the Darkness. I have fought wars on three hundred worlds. I have had six of my flagships shot out from under me. I have personally destroyed entire fleets using the power of my crest. Our weapons were vast and devastating, and worlds died before our might.  
But our sciences and our passion had discovered something else, the highest forms of digivolution. There exists a level beyond Mega, but only years of careful training can propel a digimon to those extremes. Years of careful work allowed our digimon, and eventually ourselves to Omega Evolve to Master. But beyond that was the power known as biomerging. A biomerge digivolution combines a human and digimon pair together. Just for comparison by biomerging a human and his rookie partner together, you end up with a Mega. I don't suppose you need any instruction on how powerful the biomerge between a human and a digimon who are both at the Master level is. That's a permanent tranformation, once that has occurred, it cannot be undone. All those in this room are the result of a biomerge, have reached the Avatar level. There is sufficient skill to disguise our nature, and even, after some time in the Avatar period to temporarily undo the transformation just like Cortell has here with Tentomon.  
Of course, you're probably wondering what your role is in all of this. When the war ended there was no victory, for the forces of Darkness cannot be totally overcome lest the balance swing awry. All that happened was a stalemate. During that time we managed to reach unto far-flung worlds and found that we were not alone, that there were many nations of the Light sprawled across space, and we were only the latest to emerge. So at a certain point we ended the war, and a truce set in, uneasy as it was. But we were faced with problems, how were we supposed to protect all these worlds, especially the ones where the threat was small. A single squadron of Mega level digimon would have defeated the power of Myotismon, but that would have made the world you call the Digital World solely dependent upon us for protection. So we tried another track.  
We picked the Digital World because it had just been reformatted after suffering devastating losses in the war. It was also closest to the world we came from, Earth, which, unlike some other parallel worlds like Gaea and Forsot remained blissfully unaware of the great battles being fought for survival across the dimensions. The plan was simple, create an automated defense system, something that would automatically summon humans with special properties and bond them with digimon should the need arise. To assist them we created copies of ourselves, an ability that Gennai picked up from who knows where, and left these pale copies of ourselves to monitor the system.  
However, in the first encounter we were, let us say, less than successful. We were forced to interfere too often for the digidestined to succeed. But there was an anomaly during that struggle, a digimon falling through a dimensional rift, ending up in your hands Kari, and those of your brother. That let us examine eight prospective new recruits. This time we grew the eggs and the digimon with their own imitation crest, an object that allowed you to tap the power drawn down by the major crests, the ones we still carry. Unfortunately the Dark Masters attacked early, and managed to destroy the production facility. After all, we had not endowed the copies of ourselves with our own powers.  
Of course the Dark Masters knew that they could never stand up to us, so they went immediately into hiding. Gennai had salvaged an important part of the project, so we felt reluctant to interfere, because that interference would mean that the digidestined that we called upon would depend upon us to get them out of jams. We really could not act to help any of you because what would happen is that our aid would become necessary. You had to do things on your own.  
Despite the sudden rush of feelings conjured up in him TK forced himself to nod. He understood, it was what he would have done himself.  
Adam continued speaking. So seven of you were found and brought into the digital world through an elaborate portal system. I bet you never even felt yourself herded toward that summer camp. However, we did not have a digimon for Kari, so we stepped back, depending on the natural attraction between bonded partners to bring them together. The Dark Masters had forseen this, and had left the world filled with their servants as they gathered their armies under the dark mountains in the north. But you triumphed. Not only did you defeat Devimon, you did what they least expected. They had hidden the crests, as they lacked the power to destroy them, hidden them in the inhospitable deserts of Server, but you wandered those deserts and found them all. You defeated Etemon and then attacked their greatest servant. Myostismon fooled you for a while, but the discovery of the eighth child changed all that. Myostismon knew that if he could tap the power of the eighth child, that he would be powerful beyond belief. He also understood that without the last digidestined you stood no chance of winning.  
So Myostismon did the one thing even we barely suspected. He had access to an ancient prophecy, which told that his passage into the Real world would result in the greatest power he had ever known, in his death and rebirth. So he betrayed the Dark Masters. The plan was that he would find the Gate and open it and take his army through, and then the Dark Masters would come through behind him and conquer that world as well. But Myotismon sealed the Gate behind him, locking both digidestined and Dark Master alike in the Digital World. In an act to correct that, Gennai gave you the key to open the gate and you returned to the Real world, destroying access to the Gate as you went, and leaving the Dark Masters stranded once again. So they conquered the Digital World and prepared for the return of their rogue disciple.  
But they were unprepared for what happened. Myotismon had intended to return as an equal to the Dark Masters, but he was defeated, his spirit taking up residence in Yukio Oikawa. Instead it was the eight of you that returned, finally bearing enough power to defeat them. And, by finding your own strengths, you finally triumphed.   
Likewise there were troubles caused by the return of Myostismon, but this time the system instantly recognized that new digidestined were needed, so it activated itself and chose Davis, Yolei and Cody. It was Citadel who transformed the latent Crest of Kindness into the Digi-Egg of Miracles, but all else was your work. And then, when the true danger of Myotismon was unleashed again you were able to defeat Daemon and MaloMyotismon and restore order to the universe. We manipulated this opportunity to be sure to unite your world with the Digital World, like so many other worlds, because humans and digimon working together are much more powerful than they are separately. But we had difficulties, because of the presence of Utopia on your world, and of the influences of the darkness. After the war I returned to Earth alone, but only hours had passed on Earth, where I had spent a century fighting. Fortunately time was no longer out of whack, so I was able to mix time between all the worlds, so I was sent to keep an eye on Utopia, and to keep an eye on you guys in my spare time.  
When hostilities erupted again after so many years of truce, we were ready. We anticipated their attack and launched a staggering counteroffensive. The explosion that allowed you to escape from Parsifal was actually an aftershock of our destruction of their main mobile forces. But the Darkness is vast and huge, and they have managed finally to bring up more reinforcements. We have managed to take one of their greatest nexus points, a world that connects to many other worlds, but we need to hold the worlds that we spread out and conquered from there.  
However the forces of Darkness have a plan. They plan the conquest of your world, and with it they also plan to unite a new army, conscripted from enslaved humans, Titan units and the digimon Khartan took with him, unite it with the remnants of Daemon's army, and move out in a concentrated attempt to distract us. Unfortunately your world is strategically placed near some of our supply lines. Once they move out we have to move in response. The good news is that they have to move on Earth before their regular army begins its attack. I've been waiting patiently on Earth for them to make their move, knowing that once they did I could return to Citadel immediately and command our own defenses.  
Adam sat down. Patamon was staring around with an open mouth. Gatomon was pretending to be unaffected by the whole lesson. Kari claimed no such innocence. TK however had some questions.  
How does Khartan plan to overcome our world? TK asked.  
I don't know. Adam shrugged. And this time that's for real. I just know that he's probably up to something big. You've barely seen a fraction of his strength. I truly don't know how much power he actually has, but rest assured, when he shows up, you'll know it.  
Second. Is there actually a traitor in the group? TK asked.  
Adam smiled grimly at that. You forget that you aren't the only ones who can detect the unique signature of essence crystals, or of digivices. He knew where you were the moment you entered any compound he was looking at. You can't hide from him very well, you know.  
Third. What time is it? TK looked around worriedly.  
Oh. Well here it's getting toward late evening, but time flows differently here depending on what you want. Essentially no time has passed in the real world since you left it. In fact, if you returned through the gateway now, you would be right back where you were, no danger. It's a tricky thing to explain, because obviously I haven't been waiting for you for years. Just assume that we can take care of the time thing.  
When's dinner? Patamon suddenly found himself asking.  
Everybody laughed at that, and then Adam grinned. Well TK, I expect that you might be living here at some point, and I expect to find Kari wandering these halls some day soon. In that case I better show you some of the things here. We can go down...to...dinner...  
Suddenly everyone but TK and Kari were on their feet and, if they were not exactly kneeling, they were wearing expressions of profound reverence, of willingness, of obedience. Even Adam looked like he was on the verge of genuflecting, and the look in his eyes could only be described as awe. At the same time Kari felt that something was behind her, and she turned around.  
Once Kari had possessed a great-aunt who thought that the little girl would need a near perfect command of manners, a near-perfect knowledge of how and when and where to offer congratulations and obedience. As a result Kari had spent many dusty afternoons learning proper behavior to function in modern and ancient society. She knew everything from how to properly speak to an elder person to how to give a tea ceremony for the Emperor himself. But nothing in all her great-aunt's lessons had ever taught Kari anything that would have prepared her to encounter a God.  
Absently she wondered if this is what people had seen in the beginning. If, back when they were living in dry and dirty huts and caves if they had seen beings such as these, all silver light and ephemeral cloth, descend from the heavens. If they too had stared, necks bent up, making out the shape of wings as white as a dove's, but strong too, greater than the great wings of the mightiest eagles. If they had seen in that cloud of white light the arms and armor of the warrior archangels of heaven, who must have been cast in their image. The sense of power was intoxicating and terrifying all at once, and Kari knew instinctively that she, Hikari Kamiya, was now standing in the presence of a being that was the sun to her candle, to whom the fires of the sun were nothing save a momentary flicker, and perhaps a temporary inconvenience. No eyes stared at her, but this creature, this magnificent sculpture of fire and light needed none, there was no mistaking the brilliance of the gaze that had descended upon her. For a moment it stood like a sculpture, but even then it was not completely still, for motes of light still moved within its being, illuminating the room with eldritch flames.  
Then it let one hand raise toward the others in the room, an arm forged of the stuff of dreams, and Kari, looking to see where the being pointed, watched as the others, except for TK, Patamon and Gatomon, jerked as if they had been slapped, temporarily reeling around the room. Kari tore her gaze away from them for the split second necessary to see the greater being raise the same arm in what was unmistakably a gesture of farewell and then disappear as silently as it had come.  
Well...now you have seen. Gennai had staggered upright once more, his hand pressing to his forehead. They are the embodiments of the Light, and we call them angels, Seraphi, Cherubim and Archangels. That was one of the greatest of the Seraphi, come to give us tidings of war beyond our border. She also wished to give you a lesson, that no matter how far you go, there are powers beyond you, so far beyond you that you cannot imagine, that will always seek to aid you.  
Something in that last sentence stirred TK from his temporary stupor. There is something greater than that? He blurted out.  
Adam had also regained his footing, his face dark and foreboding. Once, and once only I was unfortunate enough to witness combat between the ones known as the Archangel Michael and the Fallen Lucifer. I still have nightmares about that sometimes. I have walked among both men and Gods. I still find it disconcerting.  
Hey, you're pretty cute. You know that. The kid, whom TK had pegged as Mike, had managed to come up upon a still gaping Patamon.  
Huh? What? Patamon jerked out of his shock with a start which set the rest of them giggling.  
Let's go down to dinner, we can watch the practice fields from there. The woman, Amanda, suggested.  
  
It's huge. Kari remarked, pausing in the middle of eating her bowl of rice. I mean, it's actually gigantic.  
TK was watching the practices going on below under the glare of harsh artificial lights. Humans in armored suits and digimon panting and carrying weights jogged around the mock battlefield in ranks and different formations. Sometimes they would break up and dive for cover as a flying digimon from a group training outside of the field of view through the window dove on them, spitting fire. Beyond they could see huge towers, gangways and connections extended to vessels larger then some of the cities they had seen, the flare of torches visible from even here.  
Patamon and Gatomon were staring the other way with even wider eyes. Every kind of digimon imaginable was here. There were tiny in-training digimon, and then, looming above them the bulk of Mega level digimon stalking around. At the next table a bouncy Veggiemon was chatting animatedly with an attentive group of friends, one of which was a huge SaberLeomon. A few tables away there was a much larger table at which sat a reclining Zudomon, head inclined so that he could converse with a WarGreymon standing on his stomach. The digimon were different then anything that Patamon and Gatomon had ever seen, all wearing armor of some kind, some mark of station, and all of them looking youthfully and exuberantly alive.  
The Citadel contingent, sensing the unease that ran among them, did their best to make the newcomers feel at home, but they were still to alien to truly do this. Finally TK asked a question that he had been wondering for quite a while.  
What kind of powers can we use? TK spoke, and the table fell silent as people began to stare at each other.  
I guess I'll start. Cortell stood up, knocking Tentomon off the back of his chair. I have the crest of Knowledge, and here it seems that the system is like the human brain, knowledge is stored in electricity. I can manipulate electricity and electromagnetic phenomena to the point of being able to control the entire electromagnetic spectrum. If pressed I have to admit that I can manipulate electricity stored in people's minds in sort of an imitation telepathy.  
I'm Jessica Wright in case you hadn't guessed. Jessica stood up next, blonde hair shaking out of her eyes. Friendship is my domain, and Friendship solidifies things, so I have powers over ice. Even though that sometimes sounds lame next to some of these others trust me, after being frozen for a few years, most enemies don't come back for anything.  
That makes me Jan. Jan stood up as Jessica sat down. I'm Courage, and that means fire, and lots of it. I can do anything from lighting the candles on your birthday cake to thermonuclear detonation. I can also create an aura that enhances both my speed and my physical combat abilities.  
As for the rest of us... Adam waved as he stood up. Well, the three of us here, myself, Amanda as Light and Mike as Hope all possess seals. Mike can influence nations by spreading Hope, Amanda can control the enlightenment of truth using Light, and I am given special abilities with which to combat evil and bring it to Justice. As for the rest, well, the seals can duplicate the power of any of the other crests.  
Gennai stood up suddenly, no hint of a smile on his face. My name truly is Gennai. I carry the seal of power. I can do anything I want.  
As he sat down again Jan rolled his eyes and remonstrated, in a voice filled with mock exasperation. That's Gennai all right. There was a loud round of laughter.  
So does this explain why Gennai was so hard to get information out of back on our first journey in the Digital World? TK asked innocently.  
That was Amanda rolling her eyes. He's always that way.  
Hey Jan. Adam grinned. Remember that time he told us to find that stash of portable generators, the one he told us was buried under an oak tree five kilometers south of Rashfoster?  
Oh, do I ever. Jan groaned. There was a forest five kilometers south of Rashfoster. Do you have any idea how many trees we dug under that night?"  
You needed the exercise. Gennai grinned at them slyly.  
So now what do we do? TK asked, finishing shoveling rice and stir-fry into his face. I mean it's far from over yet, isn't it.  
It is. The table was suddenly solemn again, solemn and quiet. Gennai remained the only one speaking. I think maybe I should show you the Eternal Garden.  
  
_By Such as These are we Sheltered.  
_ Those were the only inscription over the door as they entered, but TK immediately sensed something different about the set of rooms. It became apparent what the difference was as soon as he, Kari, their digimon, and Gennai walked through the door. There was only a set of walls here, rather like a library, filled with many different smaller walls that turned the place into an organized maze.  
TK walked up to one and saw that the faceplate was covered, not with pictures, or even with blank plate, but with names. He touched one name in particular and the wall he was facing suddenly came alive with an image, a holographic sculpture of a young man with dark hair and glasses, staring solemnly out at TK. Other things floated by him, name, age, birthplace, home, date of birth, date of death.  
Gennai confirmed as TK turned around. This is where we bury our dead.  
Kari looked up, and sudden shock and disbelief set in as she realized the dimensions of the room. It stretched on into infinity, wall after wall, name after name. In some places she watched the names until they grew so close together that they blurred into a somber mess. In others she looked to see what the end of the corridors looked like, but could see nothing, except for markers, grim and silent, stretching off until she lost sight of them. There were guides posted on the walls, computer terminals that displayed the way back to the entrance, and Kari quickly realized that these were to keep people from getting lost wandering these vast halls.  
How many? TK asked quietly after a few moments.  
These mark only our casualties, military and civilian alike, so they only show one part of the story. But to answer your question nine billion seven hundred twenty three million six hundred fifty two thousand two hundred forty two. Gennai looked and sounded in that moment old, old, sad and broken.  
You remember that? Patamon sounded incredulous.  
That number is burned into my brain by a brand far fiercer than any forged by mortal man. There is no way I could ever forget that number. Gennai looked away for a moment.  
And they all died? Gatomon jumped up on Kari's shoulder.  
Let me show you something. Gennai waved them on. You may wonder why Adam goes as Adam on Earth, and Andrel here. The short answer is that Adam is his given name, but when he arrived at camp they already had an Adam there, and an Andrew, so jokingly Adam took the name of Andrel as a nickname. Adam and Andrew both were fatally injured in the battle that won us File Island. Adam died in Andrel's arms, and Andrel, who both directed and commanded the battle, has never truly forgiven himself for letting them die.  
Was it his fault? TK asked quietly.  
He did not anticipate the impossible. He was not prepared for an enemy that numbered four times their original might. That he won the battle at all was a miracle, and perhaps a testament to his ability, but that does not guarantee a free lunch. He will never forgive himself for any of those lives lost, and perhaps it makes him the best general we've ever had.  
But he can't help us can he? Kari asked seriously.  
No. As soon as the Dark attacks your world he must return to the front lines. Thirty worlds hang on this campaign, billions of lives, maybe even hundreds of billions. I don't think he can risk them for your campaign. The battle you will have to win by yourself.  
Can we defeat Khartan? TK asked. His eyes had sparked for some reason.  
No. You aren't strong enough. Gennai suddenly grew incredibly serious.  
I suspected that. Is there a way for us to beat him? TK asked cautiously.  
The means to that have already been given. Gennai looked very serious.  
Then we'll have to make do. TK grinned at Gennai, confidence returning to him. So, the question is, what do we do now?  
You learn. We teach. Gennai pointed back to the exit, and they left the dead behind.  
  
It might have been the tension, it might have been the knowledge that the test on these subjects would involve life and death. It might have been any of a number of things. It could have been because Adam was the best teacher that TK and Kari had ever had, but he taught them more in one evening than they had ever known before.  
That evening he, backed up by Gennai, taught them everything they ever needed to know about digimon. He taught them fully about every digimon they might encounter, how they behaved, what their attacks were, their fears, their weaknesses and all their other constraints. He told them about the variety of effects of electric attacks, fire attacks, ice attacks and a million other methods by which digimon could use. His lecture was filled with illusions created with the wave of his hand, illustrating the most gruesome effects of various attacks and how to counter them, burning them into their brains.   
By the time they were tired they were given rooms fit for a king, rich satin sheets, soft mattresses, and left them to sleep.  
The next day the lessons were more intense. Adam revealed that he was only going to have them stay here a short while, returning them to his apartment about an hour after they had left. But that meant that he was going to make their only days of instruction count. He was going to teach them how to make war.  
He gave a single lecture that day, but this one was attended by many people, most of them people TK and Kari did not recognize. This time Adam stood in the front of a huge lecture all, and they all had front row seats. Digimon and humans alike sat in rows, staring down at Adam standing at the front of the room.  
The first thing he wrote on the board was short and simple. KISS. Keep it Simple, Stupid. Which, he pointed out meant many things, including that you should keep it simple because people were generally stupid, because you were stupid for not keeping it simple, or any other one of a dozen meanings. TK had expected the lecture to cover complicated flanking maneuvers, huge and intricate plans for battle. He let his pen twitch across a pad of borrowed paper nervously at the start.  
But Adam did not teach that way at all. He taught using examples from a subject that TK and Kari both knew about, Japanese history. He supplemented it with battles from his own past. He taught them the three ways to defeat an enemy, fire, maneuver and shock effect, the ways to achieve them through surprise, deception, numerical and technological superiority and terrain advantages. Diagrams appeared that covered the most simple of maneuvers, the flanking maneuver, the charge, the solid and elastic defense. Then the diagrams appeared differently. They illustrated great battles of the past, complicated swirls of different colors moving across the world, marching in formation across a hundred different terrains.   
Then Adam, speaking sometimes softly, sometimes loudly and with vigor, would point out how these hundreds of complicated battles would be won by the correct application of those simple maneuvers that were instinctive for them. He would point out how seemingly simple maneuvers could win a war. Then he would explain that the key had been knowing when to attack and when to give ground, and where to do it, and how. A thousand different scenarios must have gone by while TK and Kari sat entranced, and all the other students busily took notes.  
After a quick break for lunch they were back, but the topic was different. Adam was teaching about how to organize an army. It took almost a whole hour of lecture before TK could begin to grasp the massive complexity of the task, why Adam claimed that it had cost armies wars before. The idea of feeding, moving, of commanding thousands of men was so complicated that Kari could not even begin to imagine how it was done. Adam outlined leadership requirements, morale requirements, and then begin to talk about different ways that they applied to an army. He spoke of logistics, of how to operate, of how to command. Of why a general could never lead the charge unless he was supremely confident of his men, and why even then it was a bad idea. He talked about methods of war that TK could never have learned on Earth, because he talked about how to employ different types of digimon, and how they worked best in battle. He spoke until they were sure that he would be too hoarse to go on. And they he spoke more.  
Others would come in and give lectures. Cortell talked to a crowded room for hours on the benefits and perils of logistics, on how lack of supplies could be used as a weapons against the other side, and how it had been applied before. One day there was only a long argument between many different veterans, some high-level digimon and others grizzled old humans, about what made the best leaders in a combat situation, and how they treated their men. Every one of them seemed to remember some time or other when they had truly been inspired by someone, yet the traits differed from person to person. Some traits emerged, confidence, determination and a quick wit were essential, but they were lost in a sea of debate.  
Cortell and Adam came in and argued about a variety of different weapons systems, digimon, powers, and how to employ them. Diagrams, charts, maps and video files made up the background for that long and overdrawn debate, but the key lay in the different views. Both of them presented reasonable plans for offensive and defensive action that were completely opposite, illustrating the most important lesson of all, that it was only inventiveness and foresight that really counted. TK and Kari learned more about the different ways to approach conflict in those few hours then they had in their entire lives.  
Even Gennai put in an apparently rare appearance, to talk about the hazards and duties of command from the perspective of a leader. His words were quiet and calm, but they carried great weight behind them. TK wondered, for a moment, how he had ever thought of this figure as a foolish old man.  
And then, at the end, once days and nights in this fortress in paradise had seemed to blend together, it was time to go home.  
  
The four of them stood there as Gennai smiled at them one last time, Adam standing beside him.  
Gennai spoke up. This won't be a pretty war. It won't be a happy one. What is happening tomorrow will be beyond anything you've ever seen. But trust yourself, you're strong enough to take it.  
Trust me too when I say that you're ready. Adam smiled at them. I won't be there to help you, but I will be there in spirit, and I think you'll be able to handle it.  
TK shook Adam's hand and bowed. Kari did the same.  
Gennai raised a hand in farewell.  
TK and Kari stepped through the doorway home and did not look back as heaven fell away behind them.  



	15. Unto the Breach

Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon.  
Author's Note: The fourth act has a markedly different tone than the others. I don't know if it's good or not, but it's what happened. This stuff's going to take a lot of editing.  
  
**

Act IV  
Into the Breach  
  


**_Once more into the breach, dear friends, once more;  
Or close the wall up with our English dead!  
In peace there's nothing so becomes a man  
As modest stillness and humility;  
But when the blast of war blows in our ears,  
Then imitate the action of the tiger...  
I see you stand like greyhounds in the slips,  
Straining upon the start. The game's afoot!  
Follow your spirit; and upon this charge,  
Cry, "God for Harry! England and Saint George!"  
_William Shakespeare, _Henry V_, Act III  
  
_Caesar's spirit, ranging for revenge...  
Shall in these confines with a monarch's voice  
Cry 'havoc!' and let slip the dogs of war..._  
William Shakespeare, _Julius Ceaser_, Act III  
  
_"Most of the important things in the world have been accomplished by people who have kept on trying when there seemed to be no hope at all."_   
-Dale Carnegie  
  
Colonel Jeffery Winters, United States Air Force grumbled as he woke up from his restless slumber for the second time, bashing his head on the narrow confines of his cockpit. The word had come down from an old friend higher up in command that something big might be coming down. Whispers had reached him of international conspiracy and other events. And when that same old friend had warned Winters that he better sleep in the saddle that night, he had understood immediately what it had meant. But that meant that he and the rest of Raptor Wing was sleeping in the cockpits of their aircraft tonight, getting ready to get up early tomorrow.   
Raptor Wing was his responsibility after all. It was in a transitory period, having lost its experimental designation, but, due to a shuffle of paperwork in Air Combat Command, lacking a new unit designation. So the only unit under ACC command flying the brand new F-22A Raptors sat on the ground, out on the tarmac of Langley Air Force Base without a unit designation, and with a group of disgruntled, complaining pilots sitting in their aircraft, stirring gumpily.  
Something was different, Jeffery realized as his groggy mind awoke. Something was really different this time. It was only eleven o'clock in the evening, but something was definitely different. And then the wail of the General Quarters alert broke through his exhaustion.  
Ground Crew, lugging their equipment with them burst out of the nearest hangers, running toward the planes. Fortunately every plane had run a pre-flight check before settling down for the night, and the new Raptors were remarkably reliable when it came to crash launching. Still...Jeffery began to hit buttons on his console as the computers in his jet came to life, and the starters began to click madly. At the same time he vowed that if this was a drill of some sort he was going to kill somebody.  
The PA system cut in unexpectedly. Attention, attention, all non-essential personnel, evacuate the base immediately. I repeat, all non-aircrew personnel, evacuate the base immediately. This is not a drill. This is not a drill.  
That was no drill. Jeffery hammered his fighter into wakefullness just as the voice of the senior watch officer came on.  
What is it Jack? Jeffery watched the computers bring system after system to readiness.  
Nothing official, if that's what you mean. I can't contact any military base, anywhere. I can't contact anything anywhere.  
Jeffery paused for a moment, halfway to a switch. You mean you have a communications problem?  
No. Something's jamming half the radar too. And, well...we tap all the command nets. Our last contact was with Norfolk Naval Base. They reported that they were under attack, and then they went off the air. We haven't managed to raise them since.  
What the hell? Jeffery demanded as his engines roared to life.  
I don't know. Nobody else is responding, the Pentagon, the White House, NORAD, anybody. I don't know what's going on. But I do know one thing.  
Yeah, what's that?  
That jammed area on our radar. It's a cloud. And it keeps getting closer.  
Jeffery taxied his plane clear of the ground crew, hardly paying attention as the crew below scattered.  
How long before it gets here?  
About ten minutes.  
Raptor One, launching now. Jeffery was slammed back into his chair as the fighter slammed forward, and the F-22A entered the air, the first of his wingmen right behind him.  
I want you to get out of here Jeffery. The watch officer was sounding more frightened now, but his voice remained calm.  
The hell I will. You think I'm abandoning this place? Jeffery demanded, as his remaining wingmen began to launch.  
All right, try something for me then. They're advancing from the northeast, fly towards them, but don't get too close. I want to test something.  
Winters turned his plane around, roaring over the ground, no longer carrying about flight restrictions limiting him to the speed of sound. He was almost to where his radar was blotched when suddenly every system in his jet went crazy. Computers began to spin random numbers up and down, weapons systems began to randomly lock onto phantom targets, communications gear emitted strange noises, his Heads-Up display began to flash like a strobe. Hauling as hard as he could the experienced fighter pilot was just able to get his plane around before the systems froze completely.  
What the hell was that? He demanded.  
I was afraid of that Raptor One. I've seen this before, last time those digimon invaded our world. You're dealing with a full scale disruption field, it disrupts all electronics in a large area. You can't even get close to them. Get out of here while you still can.  
Like hell I will. Jeffery responded instinctively.  
Be reasonable. You can't even get near these guys. And you may be the only capable air force unit remaining on this end of the east coast. You have a bigger responsibility now than to us. Go out and do your duty.  
Colonel Winters sighed as he saw the logic of the remark. Copy Langley. Get our families out safe.  
They're already on their way, you have my word.  
Right. Raptor Wing, form on me. We're heading south at Mach one. Keep a tight formation. The thirty-six F-22A fighters formed behind their leader and, afterburners flaring, burned south, away from Langley, away from the approaching cloud of darkness.  
Five minutes later Langley Air Force Base was gone. The invasion had begun.  



	16. A Call to Arms

Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon.  
  
**

Episode XXXX  
A Call to Arms

**  
  
  
_"What's the matter grunts? You wanna live forever!?! Let's move it out!"_  
Anonymous sergeant  
Doofus, Doofus! Davis groaned as he heard Jun banging on his door. _Why did she have to be so loud?  
_ He had been sitting around all day. At school he had been a nervous wreck, but nothing had happened yet, had it? After yesterday's stress affair he had been too much of a wreck to go to school. Fortunately it was his mother who had pointed this out, which meant that he was spending today at home. In his bed. This was okay for him, but not okay for Ken, who had to stick next to him, thanks to Tai's reissued orders. Ken and Wormmon were lurking somewhere nearby, keeping generally out of sight, because Jun was home from college, and was doing her best to bug her brother into committing suicide.  
What is it? Davis called out, pausing in reading his latest assignment.  
You've got to come see this! With that he could hear Jun running off.  
Groaning and grumbling he got shakily up from his bed and, Veemon trotting along behind him, made his way through the door, where his sister could be seen, staring at the television. He could vaguely hear the announcer's voice too, speaking slowly and quickly as if he was under tremendous pressure.  
And reports continue to come in. The entire eastern seaboard of the United States, with precious few exceptions, have been overwhelmed. This unknown force had destroyed one of the best military forces on the globe already, in a matter of an hour. Although we do not actually know anything concrete, scattered reports indicate that most civilian areas remain untouched, but military facilities have take severe losses. There are no further reports from those areas. Meanwhile disaster similar to this has taken place in Europe where a large area near the Alps has fallen under a mysterious darkness. Sources from as far away as Scotland report mass disturbances. We are working to bring our viewers more information...  
The rest of the report was lost as Davis flung himself out of the room.  
  
If the public was experiencing panic, the newsroom was chaos incarnate. Charlie threw himself narrowly out of Mr. Ishida's way as the man charged through the office cubicles like a wild bull. Reporters from other departments who had been sent over to the newsroom to find out what was going on were scattered by his entrance like bowling pins. He looked almost half mad, but nobody blamed him, and nobody was brave enough to point it out to him either.  
I want every field reporter we've got in the field and I want them out there now. He growled at anyone who stayed in the vicinity long enough to listen. Everyone else is on invasion duty as of five minutes ago.  
What does that mean? An intern from the sports department quavered.  
If you don't know what that means, it means that you run errands for someone who does know what it means. Ishida growled, hurling a balled up collection of papers off of his desk. All the vets, you better get ready to hit the field as soon as we know where to send you.  
Got it. Someone acknowledged. Several others just nodded and kept on working, heads bowed as they focused on the papers on their desks.  
And one more thing. Mr. Ishida stood up, and a vast calm fell on the workers at their desks. Give yourselves and your families a back door to get out of this one boys. You may need it.  
That definitely caused some rumbles of surprise, but it was better to be safe than sorry. Now, if only kids could take the same advice.  
  
Something was bothering Willis as he fiddled with his pencil. After all, it was not like sitting around doing work in a class that was already years behind him was very fun. Right now their teacher was going over how the sun and the earth rotated around each other for the fifth time. It must have been his favorite subject. So Willis was sitting here, doing useless homework to calm himself late at night. In preparation for the next day the Aerie was filled with Team Eagle's active strength, beds and couches filled with resting bodies. It was hard to find a place to sit without stumbling over some sleeping form, either human or otherwise, that had made itself at home. Even if some, in their nervousness, were only pretending to be sleeping.  
Willis watched, bored as the model of the Earth on his computer rotated. He scratched at his homework. The Earth turned, and turned, and turned...and turned...and turned...  
Oh SHIT! Willis jumped up so fast, swearing so loud that everyone else in the room stopped doing whatever they were doing and stared at Willis.  
What is it? Michael asked, alarmed, looking around for a threat.  
I forgot about the time difference! Willis slammed his hand into the desk.  
What about it? I was trying to get some sleep. Steve complained from his couch.  
Time zones. It's a different time in Tokyo than it is here. Willis grumbled.  
What does that mean? Michael asked impatiently.  
Michael, it's the twenty-second in Japan already. Willis looked up with wide, horror filled eyes.  
The scream of his general alarm cut them all off.  
  
The entire history class ground to a halt as the door was thrown open and Master Ishiguro jumped in, his hair flying around him. He looked disheveled and anxious, and Sora, Matt and Tai all stared at him mutely.  
Is there something wrong Mr. Ishiguro? The history teacher looked at the black belt over her glasses. I don't tolerate this kind of behavior from the students, I certainly expect professionalism from the instructors.  
I need Mr. Kamiya, Mr. Ishida and Ms. Takenouchi to leave class with me. He panted. He looked like he had just run a mile.  
I'm sorry, but those three have already missed a great deal of class. I can't let them leave again. The teacher glared at Master Ishiguro.  
  
I don't care for excuses...  
Suddenly the conversation was cut off when the door was busted open again and two men entered, both wearing black body armor, riot helmets, and carrying submachine guns. Both of them looked very serious, and waved their guns around in a very businesslike manner. Several students screamed, and there was a sudden general movement away from them. Even the teacher looked like she was about to panic. Papers went flying, binders fell off of desks, and several students hid beneath their desks, trying to avoid eye contact.  
Lieutenant Takaeda. Master Ishiguro turned around. Is the building secure?  
Yes sir. Lieutenant Takaeda flipped up his visor. But we don't have the manpower to actually hold it if something happens here. So get those kids out fast. We'll need them. We'll cover for you. Go!  
Tai, Matt and Sora needed no encouragement. They were already running for the door when Takaeda yelled. With Master Ishiguro in tow they darted down the hallway, following the other police officers who already lined the halls.  
Sorry for the interruption ma'am. Lieutenant Takaeda gave the teacher a snappy salute, closed his visor again, checked his gun, and ran for the door.  
He had just gotten out the door when Tokyo experienced its first air raid warning in recent memory.  
  
Where are we going? It'll take an army to stop this kind of attack. Tai asked as Izzy jumped into the van.  
We can secure a location for you. What do you want? Lieutenant Takaeda asked them as the Tactical One van began to move out of the school parking lot.  
My apartment. Izzy responded. Where's Mimi? And Ken?  
Davis already called. Master Ishiguro reported. He and Ken are going to pick Joe. Mimi is in the second car. TK and Kari haven't called in yet, I'm not sure where they are. Yolei and Cody are already on their way from school in another police car.  
Izzy's sudden act of swearing caught everyone else dead. Who else do we have?  
Just us. Why?  
Not enough without Ken and Joe. I knew we should have issued more codes. I want you to swing by the Nippon International bank by the new clothes outlet north of the school.  
Master Ishiguro asked.  
Just do it. It'll take less time. Send the other car to my house. Can we call the other car?  
Lieutenant Takaeda looked confused.  
May I? Izzy picked up the proffered radio.  
Sure, go right ahead.  
Mimi, are you there?  
Oh wow, this is so cool. Yeah, this is Mimi, I'm here. The cheerful voice broke through the radio wavelengths, and Izzy smiled.  
Listen, I want you to go to my house and go to my room. You've been there before, right? Izzy listened to the answer intently.  
This time it was Sora who answered, sounding as if she was farther away from the microphone.  
I have four networked computers attached together in my bookshelf. The box third from the left is black. Take it apart any way you can, there's a clasp in the back that should make it easier. Inside is a black briefcase, chained there and sealed by a combo lock. The combination is 3-4-1-5. Open it and remove the letter that says In case of my untimely demise.  
Mimi's voice sounded grimmer. Izzy could practically hear the gasps of shock from Matt and Sora in the background.  
What are you talking about? Tai hissed in Izzy's ear.  
I'll tell you when we get to the bank.  
  
Where are we going? TK asked. They had given up on the idea of stealth in favor or speed, and now he and Kari and Gatomon were all hanging onto Angemon as he blasted through space. Below him people gaped, turning up and pointing to the tremendous sight. They had been taking the day off from school, sitting nervously in the place where Mr. Ishida worked, waiting for the first sign of something big. They already had packed their gear in case they were going to have to make a long trip of it. Now they were trying to get to the others before things got too frantic.  
It says we're going to Izzy's house. Kari reported.  
Some speed here? TK asked plaintively.  
Let's go. Angemon ignored the complaint's overtones as he blasted ahead at near sonic velocities.  
  
Mimi burst through the door of Izzy's apartment, using the special key that he had given her just for this occasion. She ran, with a confused Matt and Sora behind her, straight to his bedroom, and immediately attacked the third computer as instructed.  
What's going on? Matt asked, as they struggled to make the computer come apart.  
Izzy's been backed into a corner. This invasion is something we can't really fight against. Mimi responded, managed to pry the case open. Sure enough there was a business-like black briefcase sitting there, waiting to be opened. Mimi began to fumble with the numerical lock.  
So what's he doing? Sora asked.  
He's activating the IDEF. Hopefully that will be enough power to deal with the forces of Darkness. Mimi wrenched open the briefcase, which was unfortunately upside-down, sending envelopes spilling all over the ground. She had seen them once before, Izzy had made special care to show them to her before he had hidden them. Now she sorted through them rapidly, glancing only briefly at the words scribed on each side in her haste to find the correct one.  
What's that? Sora asked.  
Mimi grabbed one that looked promising, glanced at it for a long moment, and then tossed it aside, almost giving Matt a papercut in his forehead. Envelopes and data CDs scattered all over as her hands dug into the pile. You'll find out when it starts.  
  
Police. Nobody panic! Lieutenant Takaeda did not blame people for screaming. Five officers of Tactical One, all fully armed had just burst through the doors. They were followed by a flying beetle and a running waist-high dinosaur. As they ran up to the counter, customers panicked and moved out of the way.   
I need that number Mimi. Izzy was talking, this time into a cellular phone.  
I've got it. Mimi yelled triumphantly from the other end. Tai's number is Forty-three twenty-seven.  
Izzy shoved forward. We need safety deposit box forty-three twenty-seven please.  
It took several moments for the request to register on the man who was standing behind the counter, his jaw hanging open at the sight of so much conflicting information, before long years of training cut in. Ah...which one of you gentleman is Taichi Kamiya?  
That's me. Tai stepped forward, producing his identification. He had never presented it before, in fact he had never been in this bank before. Izzy apparently was up to something, and Tai did not have a clue what it was. The bank clerk took several moments to stare at the identification in the boy's hand, apparently trying as hard as Tai to figure out what was going on. Lieutenant Takaeda also produced his police identification to avoid problems.  
I suppose that all is in order. Just a second. The man staggered unevenly off to the vault. A tense minute later, in which customers stayed away from the heavily armed police, he returned, carrying a perfectly ordinary safety deposit box.   
Izzy had it open in a moment, retrieved several slips of paper and a CD from inside the box, leaving the plain metal container empty, and then ran back for the door with all the others running after him.  
Sorry about that! Lieutenant Takaeda yelled as they went out the door.  
  
What is this stuff? Tai asked, looking at the piece of paper in his hand as they ran into his apartment, past police guards already in place. They looked nervous, and, a wonder for Tokyo policemen, had their guns out. I take it that it's important.  
Yes. Very. Izzy kept running, ignoring surprised looks from neighbors sticking their heads out their doors to watch. He ran right into his room, ignoring the other digimon and digidestined in his room, placed the CD into the CD drive and waited tensely. A moment later a strange screen opened. Izzy clicked on it, typed a few things, and then waited. Five seconds later a blank screen appeared, and the computer beeped twice.  
Tai, listen to me. Izzy whispered. There is a sentence on the red piece of paper. I want you to read it to the computer.  
All right, whatever... Tai approached the computer, fumbled with the microphone for a second, and then read out loud. Well, I guess it wasn't my best idea after all. He frowned as he read it. He _did_ tend to say it a lot, but why he was saying it now was a little beyond him. It wasn't a question of doing it, he trusted Izzy implicitly, but he had no idea why he was talking to a computer.  
The computer beeped and then spoke. Voiceprint Identification, Taichi Kamiya, affiliation, Odaiba One. Command authorization verified.  
Izzy hissed.  
hey, is this thing on? Mimi spoke brightly into the microphone as Tai fell back, rolling her eyes at what she had to say. Apparently Izzy had not chosen to use their best moments to do this.  
Voiceprint Identification, Mimi Tachikawa, affiliation, Odaiba One. Command authorization verified.  
Izzy stepped up now.   
Voiceprint Identification, Koushiro Izumi, affiliation, Odaiba One. Command sequence activated. All InterDimensional Expeditionary Force Units are being notified. All core contingencies are being activated. Network records positive response from Team Eagle, Australian Avengers, European Legion, Moscow Blizzard, Aztecs, Thunderbirds. Standing by for further orders.  
Code Barbarossa. I say again, Code Barbarossa.  
Code Barbarossa confirmed.  
As Izzy sat back the computer began to whir. Electronic communications spat out, messages sent throughout the world. The arms of a vast network of light and sound began to slowly come to life.  
What the hell is going on? Tai asked sarcastically.  
I'll tell you when we're all here.  
  
Willis scrambled for his computer as the second and third warnings screamed out. These were not the abnormal activity alarms, like the ones that had already activated, these were the proximity alarms. Whatever was coming, it was coming close, and it was coming fast.  
What is it? Michael rushed to his side.  
We've got incoming. Willis breathed. I'm encountering multiple digimon like organisms entering the New York area. How close are we to being assembled?  
Farther away than I would like. Michael responded. He stared around. People were realizing that there was a real emergency going on. Startled shouts, both in human and digimon voices, were beginning to fill the air, mixed with an unusual amount of chaos. Humans, freshly woken up and stumbling around the unfamiliar building, stepped on tails and other limbs of various digimon, creating a background of hurt shouts. People who were in charge of various sections began to shout, looking for the people they were supposed to be leading. Gear was being tossed around as certain well-drilled digidestined tossed it to others who were a little bit beyond.  
In the corner the printer suddenly began to screech, a piece of paper began to move through it. A moment later the still hot sheet of paper dropped into Willis' waiting hands. It held a single line.  
_Code Barbarossa.  
_ What does that mean we do? Michael asked. He still did not know what all the codes meant, but from the lack of expression on Willis's face, this one had been expected. As well as being not good.  
It means that we buy time. As best we can.  
  
The trains are all out. The German girl frowned at the schedule. How do we get there now?  
We fly and we run, and we take turns doing it. Her counterpart replied. Johann, how are we doing?  
We'll do. He replied shortly. Then he said some choice German vocabulary under his breath. This was not going to go as cleanly as they had hoped, but nobody had ever expected this. Someone better inform Catherine that we will be just a little late though.  
  
Paildramon, clutching Joe, Ken and Davis, settled to the ground right next to Izzy's apartment building and transformed back into Veemon and Wormmon. Three kids and three digimon ran up the building's stairs, clumping their way past police guards. Izzy had already finished updating the other digidestined on what was happening overseas, but data was disappointingly slim. There were few news reports coming after the first ones, only reports of chaos and general confusion running through the streets. People outside were beginning to panic, but so far there was no concrete report involving attacks in major civilian centers. Except perhaps for Washington DC which refused to answer any queries at all. All they knew now was that two immensely powerful forces had materialized and were headed toward Paris and to New York. Still they monitored the news channels in the hope of a break.  
News anchors frantically threw up diagram after diagram to try and explain what was going on, but the one that ate at everyone's minds was the diagram of Europe and the United States. It showed an expanding black blob near New York, another crossing over into France. Both were already huge, and they were moving fast, considering how fast they had to update the images. And whatever they were, nobody had any news from inside there. None at all.  
Fortunately Noriko had already managed to show up, with several of her other Tokyo digidestined companions. Izzy was still hovering over his computer, hitting keys in seemingly random combinations, and muttering to himself in cryptic phrases.  
So what do we do now? Tai asked. And what is all this stuff that you've been talking about?  
Well now that we're all here, I guess I should tell you. Izzy stood up. It's something I dreamed up after the MaloMyotismon affair. Gennai talked to me then, and gave me some ideas that sounded pretty important.  
He talked to all of us. Yolei pointed out.  
Not like that. While the rest of you were watching the later festivities, and Davis was attempting to break dance, Gennai pulled me aside and spoke to me. He said that there could be something bigger coming, something bigger and more dangerous than the world tour. The world tour was not really dangerous, but Gennai said that this time there could be a lot more complications, like dealing with malevolent forces that were actually trying to kill us. And worse, they would have years to plan, and would be ready for us. And they could corrupt digidestined, so we couldn't hide information from them.  
He was worried that with all the new digidestined, that the forces of darkness would be able to hit them hard and early, take them out. After all, if they came into the open really fast, if everybody knew where they were, that would be a problem. He said that when the darkness came next time, the digidestined, all of them, would be the key to defeating them. But how could you gather them if merely knowing where they were put them in horrible danger?  
So he suggested the ultimate counterplan. A group of digidestined hidden throughout the world. There would be new digidestined he claimed, and they should be organized and led. But he told me that it would be best if nobody knew who all the digidestined were. If a digidestined system was compromised, we could all be in trouble, and the new and inexperienced digidestined could be killed. So I set up a system where nobody, not even me, could hack into it and find out the names of the new digidestined. To anyone else, it would look like all the digidestined were organized randomly, that we weren't allied at all, while in truth we were all highly organized. Nobody outside of the organizers actually knew about the whole structure of the system, even those who were enlisted in it.  
How did you do that? Sora asked.  
I contacted some of the other digidestined, Derrick, Willis, Catherine and Sonja. Through them we arranged a new system. Using our digivices we were able to track down new digidestined, and form them into groups. We then set up a system through which they could report their existence to our central computers in Japan and in the US. The system reproduced itself, because small groups of digidestined would talk to other groups of digidestined, and tell them how to enter the system. However we wrote the program so that we would not be able to access the data on who was who, but that the best we could do was to use our computers to send them messages via email. Each new group spread out, contacted new groups, formed new cadres, spread the word about different dangers in the Digital World, and hopefully reported their existence to our central computers. We called ourselves the InterDimensional Expeditionary Force, because at that time we expected to see a lot of action in the Digital World, but we've never had a reason to call them up before.  
We set up a line of commands so that we could alert these mysterious groups. Phase One, a general warning, was sent out the moment we got back. Phase Two was activated after our raid on Utopia. With it those teams of digidestined started assembling in a single spot, spending most of their time within shouting distance of each other, and a working computer terminal. Code Barbarossa warns of an all-out invasion. I don't know what will happen when we take the next step though. All those groups should call in to us, since we're functioning as IDEF headquarters at the moment, but we actually don't know how many of us there are. Willis, Catherine and company have been running around like crazy trying to contact as many groups as possible, but we don't know how many we have out there. Until this moment they were not really supposed to reveal themselves at all. How many knew about this? Tai asked suspiciously.  
In the beginning only myself and Ken, who organized it, and Mimi, who helped contact the American digidestined. We told Joe to have a backup man, because three of us are needed to initiate anything. That's why I left your authorization codes to be activated in case something happened to me. TK and Kari found out too, but that makes all of us. The system uses a webcam to make sure that different people are telling it what it wants to hear. It cannot be activated unless three of us do it, and if nobody knew it was there, no temptations would arrise.  
An army of digidestined? Tai asked, smiling. I like it.  
So how do you contact them? Yolei asked.  
I push this button here. Izzy pointed. And I start talking.  
  
Every digivice in the world flashed. A sparkling display of light and sound alerted their bearers to the fact that devices were going off. They had already beeped in warning, and the word of a full-scale invasion had already passed around. All around the world groups of huddled children and teenagers staring at their devices jumped as they went off. Classrooms were halted by the beeping, people jolted out of a sound sleep. On seven continents heads turned.  
In farm villages the sound of electronics was sometimes strange and exotic. In the built up cities of the west and Asia it caused no comment, just another facet of everyday life. In some places people jumped in shock, in others they were mutely prepared. But in all those places people stopped and prepared to listen to whatever was coming next.  
A voice emerged, a voice speaking native languages all over the world. The translation program, borrowed from Gennai long ago for this purpose sprang into action, competently transferring data and information across the world. Digidestined who had only vaguely heard of their leaders and their heroes before now felt their eyes widen as the voice began to speak.  
Attention. I hope that all of you who are receiving this message know why it is coming, but for those who do not, rest assured that we will attempt to find you as well. There has been a worldwide assault by the forces of Darkness. They have laid waste to our nations's militaries, they have attempted to destroy our society, and now they are on the march to destroy our cities as well. The authorities are helpless, they do not have the ability to truly battle digimon, no matter what they might think about it. The only way that these digimon are going to be stopped is by other digimon.  
I know a lot of you out there might be scared. So are we. We are speaking of going into battle, both for ourselves and our families, and for the entire world. But without us, there is nobody else. And unless we unite, we are nothing. We have no choice but to go to war. There is nobody else! Today we either stand together, or we die separately, but there is no middle ground.  
This is Koushiro Izumi. The counter-offensive has begun. Initiate Operation Salamis. Digital Command Odaiba coming on-line now.  
The voice faded, but other voices spoke up all over the world.   
  
Nice speech. What happens now? Tai asked.  
We wait. Izzy responded shortly.  
For what? Sora asked.  
The computer crackled. A map appeared on the screen, with a blinking dot on it, right where they were now. Then another dot appeared and a voice spoke.  
This is Willis. Team Eagle online.  
Another dot. Catherine here. European Legion, Paris branch online.  
Another. Derrick, Australian Avengers ready to go.  
Another. Yuri. Moscow online is.  
Another. Daniel here. European Legion London online.  
Then Frankfurt, then Rome, then Bordeaux, then Madrid, the European Legion activated. There was a dot for Hong Kong. There was a point in Mexico City, and then another one in LA, and then all the regular teams had checked in.   
There was a moment while everyone who knew what was going on held their breath, waiting to see whether they would soar or fall. There was a moment when Ken wondered whether any of their vast planning would bear fruit, whether they had spent years arranging something that was dead. In his mind he could see the spread of Darkness over the world, like during the abbreviated reign of MaloMyotismon. He could see all those points of light, slowly being overwhelmed by the spread of an even greater darkness. There was a moment when he waited tensely, when everyone held their breath.  
Chicago here, checking in.  
Houston here, checking in.  
Melbourne here, checking in.  
St. Petersburg online.  
Minsk online.  
We've contacted all of them. Izzy whispered. That gives us some manpower reserves.  
Phoenix, Arizona, online.  
Calvary, online.  
Tai looked over to see whether or not Izzy had expected these groups, but Izzy was too busy watching the map.  
Honolulu here, we're all dressed up with no place to go.  
Singapore online, waiting for further instructions.  
Ahhh...well...Singapore B here, also waiting for further instructions.  
Does that makes us Singapore C? Well, whatever, we're ready.  
This is Hong Kong team number two. Online.  
Brisbane here, ready and willing.  
Birmingham. We hear that.  
Glasgow. No way we're going to let some bloody English have all the fun.  
Liverpool here. We heard that.  
I think you were supposed to. This is Dublin. How are you this morning?  
Cairo here, I guess we're not late after all.  
Well, if you guys claim Cairo, I guess we shall be Giza.  
It's working. Izzy whispered as the globe began to light up. Everyone was watching now, watching the world change around them. Watching the light begin to come together.  
Atlanta. Let's roll.  
Buenos Aires. Estamos listos. You too?  
Rio de Janiero here. We've always wanted to see New York, no?  
Calais calling. We are leaving for Paris now actually.  
Lima here. So what say we all get together soon?  
Where's that? Matt hissed.  
Peru I think. Ken responded.  
Cape Town here. Online and ready to go. A dot appeared in South Africa.  
Nairobi A here, we're ready to go when you are.  
Nairobi B. It takes two to tango in this town.  
The list when on and on. There were national capitols being mentioned, provincial towns, and small cities that nobody had ever heard of. Small villages in Africa with only one computer called in along with dozens of teams meeting around home computers all over the west. Cities with names that Tai had only seen in Geography called, Kinshasa, Brazzaville, Yamoussoukro, Santiago, Tegucigalpa, Tijuana, San Diego, Shanghai, Beijing, Vladisvostok, Islamabad, New Delhi, Bangkok, Calcutta, Bombay, Colombo, Riyadh. Cities that nobody could find in Izzy's online atlas. The entire west and east coasts of the United States lit up like a birthday cake. Europe looked like it was on fire.  
Izzy let out a triumphant whoop as they got a call from McMurdo station. A dot blinked on in Antarctica as everyone stared in wonder.  
Those are all digidestined? Tai asked, shocked.  
Yes. And they're already ready to go.  
So what do we do? Matt asked.  
I have an idea. Izzy spoke up. Everyone turned to him. We split into three teams. One team goes to New York, where there seems to be a battle underway. One team goes to Paris, where the other main force seems to be heading. But one team stays with me, and that team includes Davis and Ken.  
But that means that we lose one of our Megas. We need ImperialDramon. Davis protested.  
Not as much as I do. Izzy countered.  
What are you going to do? Tai asked.  
I'm going to use ImperialDramon's flight abilities to fly all over the world, serving as a mobile coordination post. Using ImperialDramon we can not only cover the world, we can pick up digimon and digidestined from all over the world and bring them to those two cities. It's the best I can do. Those digidestined outnumber and outgun whatever help ImperialDramon can give. We need them at the battleground, and ImperialDramon is the only way to get them there.  
So that's where you're going to be. Good. I think you should take another flying guard with you then. How about you Yolei, you know about computers, don't you? Tai was asserting control again.  
  
Then it's settled. Izzy stays onboard ImperialDramon with Davis, Ken and Yolei. Then we need two teams. What's in more danger Izzy?  
Let me check. According to my scanners it will take the Darkness a day to get to Paris at their current speed, but New York is already partially under attack, so I guess that New York is in the most danger. Why?  
I'd like to keep Omnimon together if I could. Tai grew thoughtful.  
Well then I guess I'll stick with you. Matt reported.  
So here's how I would split up the team. Matt and I are going to New York. Mimi's coming with us because she knows her way around and she speaks English. One other, that means Joe, who has our marine digimon. TK, I want you to lead the team going to Paris. Kari will go with you, of course, and so will Sora and Cody. Noriko, I know you probably don't want to be left out of the action, but I'm afraid that this might be a distraction like last time. I want you to hold down the fort here.  
Will do. You can count on us. Neriko swelled up.  
All right people, let's get moving. TK, I want you to contact your grandfather and Catherine. Tell them to get ready to receive mass digidestined dropoffs from around the world somewhere in France. Izzy, tell Willis and Michael that we're on the way. Master Ishiguro, I think it would be best if you helped Noriko. I bet that Utopia is up to something here to.  
Probably a good idea. Master Ishiguro conceded. Helios Ascendent has been alerted worldwide. They'll try to help you any way they can. I don't know how much help they'll actually be, but we can hope for the best.  
I guess the battle plan runs like this. We'll hit the ground and try to hold off the enemy digimon until Izzy can get some reinforcements to us. Then, if we can get enough help from the locals we'll drive off Khartan's forces and see if we can contain them.  
So now what? Matt asked, as everyone else nodded.  
Tai asked, smiling slightly. Haven't you already guessed Matt? Now we fly.  



	17. CounterOffensive

Disclaimer: I don't own digimon  
Author's Note: Here comes the start of the real violence. From here on, most of the fighting is going to be down and dirty and ugly. I hope nobody gets bothered too much. Thanks for everyone who reviews. I hope I get some more reviews this time.  
-dA  
  
**

Episode XXXXI  
Counter-Offensive  
_  
_

**This is no time for ease and comfort. It is time to dare and endure.  
Sir Winston Churchill  
  
**  
** General Samuel Hayes cursed and blessed his luck at the same time. Just by a fluke of military maneuver he had managed to have the only regular army unit within a hundred miles of New York, and he had the largest organized unit still intact on the east coast. They had been out on maneuvers, not in their barracks, when the attacks started, and had managed to escape unscathed. But that meant that his division, the brand new sixteenth, was a little exposed. He had mostly mechanized infantry, with armor support, but now that was proving problematical. The complicated electronics that ran the army's Main Battle Tanks had already malfunctioned, and in many cases the tanks had failed utterly, even complicated mechanical parts coming apart under the influence of the enemy; whoever the enemy was this time. That left his infantry un-mechanized, and his armor un-armored. Not that it was going to matter against an enemy of that size anyways.   
He was not a New York man himself, but he had a road map, and he was already giving orders. He wanted to hold Manhattan if at all possible, try to control what had been and still was a symbol of America. That meant that he needed to stop the rampaging horde before it could overrun the city. Fortunately whatever it was that was attacking seemed to be coming from the north, howling south. That meant Hayes was digging in under the stars and city lights along Interstate-95, and the small waterway there that led down to the main river. Drawing on years of experience, the army taught its people to plan simple, and Hayes had a simple plan. Dig in and hold them any way possible, and hope someone else showed up in time to save them. Now all that was left was the waiting, the long, unbearable periods of glacial passage of time, drawing ever nearer to the sudden clash of arms as battle broke upon them.  
He was still pacing back to his command post when the Vilemon attacked.  
  
The Vilemon screamed in from up north on the winds, howling for furious battle. They descended on the crowded bridges over the Hudson, where the NYPD was attempting to extricate New York's population from the mess. Panic had set in already, people trying to escape the continuous wails and screams from the city center. Now cars were crowded on the bridge, many of them having simply stopped working as the disruption field around the city grew more and more pronounced. The citizens fled across the bridge on foot, reminiscent of so many escapes throughout history, a disorderly column filling the bridges from end to end. For the first time in over a hundred years it was the turn of the Americans to leave their city in one great trailing column of refugees, thousands of people taking to the road, their only possessions being what they still carried.  
Fortunately, the riot squads had managed to deploy on the bridge in time. With enough yelling and screaming, they had managed to get all the people on the bridge aligned and moving in the same direction. Broken cars were shoved over the side, sometimes over the loud objections of their owners, to make room for hundreds more people who were only now fleeing the city. Men and women in suits and designer clothes marched in a grim, determined gait alongside construction workers and homeless in a stream of humanity that crammed the bridges. The bridges were the weak point, the bottleneck, an inevitable traffic jam in the evacuation of the city, and a logical target.  
There were over a hundred Vilemon swooping over the city in that direction. Spying the mass of people on the bridges, illuminated by flickering street lights, they dove, screaming at the top of their lungs, causing panic. People, alarmed by the screams from above panicked, began to run. There were other screams as children and people already exhausted were caught by the maddened crowd, shoved together, sometimes trampled. Old and young flailed madly as they were submerged under the sudden tide of people, a tide that threatened to shove their own members off the side. Exhaustion and fear and panic had combined to change the crowd from evacuees into a panicked animal, striking out at anything it could reach, screaming until it was hoarse. Terror submerged human reason in an icy flow, ignored the suffering of those trapped underfoot. The roar of the crowd was a living thing, drowning out the sound of those dying under its influence.  
Spinning Needle! There was a burst of golden light and a swarm of needles spat through the air. Amy Nakamura, senior flight officer of Team Eagle swept in to where the crowd of pests was panicking the evacuation, hanging onto Airdramon with her knees. The might winged serpent dragon spun into battle, spewing golden needles from her mouth. A dozen lesser Vilemon were blasted from the air in the first pass. Behind her the other recent recruits of Team Eagle followed through, a Veedramon blasting the air with fire while his companions swept down on the bridges below.  
Clear the bridges! Amy yelled down below as her digimon began the deadly dance of battle. She was not sure whether or not any of the officers below heard her, but she really was in no shape to worry about it, as her own digimon began to buck and shake, avoiding the numerous Vilemon, while at the same time trying to drive them back. Behind her she could see the Vilemon reforming after being scattered by the first attack, drawing up to trap her half-dozen aerial digimon in a deadly web. They needed to buy the police the time it would take to get the people off the bridges and under cover, and they had to buy that time no matter the cost.  
Ariel Gallop! A crowd of Vilemon to one side was suddenly blown apart by an unexpected attack. Through a sudden gap Amy could see a Unimon and a Flymon joining the battle, attacking the Vilemon savagely from behind. Even though they still outnumbered the digidestined by several times over, the Vilemon were so stunned by this attack that they immediately tried to flee, escaping back north to join their comrades. Apparently they had not counted on a spirited resistance, and they fled squeaking to rejoin their comrades to the distant north. Amy knew better than to think that they were gone for good, but every minute that the attack was delayed was a good minute.  
Who're you? Amy yelled at the black-skinned boy riding the Unimon.  
Atlantic City! The boy yelled back. Sorry we're late. We had to give some people a ride. He pointed down. Already a group of digimon and digidestined were restoring order to the bridge. Huge, towering figures, shouting out instructions in a voice that overwhelmed even that of the crowd, seemed to be more effective than even trained riot officers at crowd control. With the removal of the possibility of sudden death human reason and compassion reasserted themselves, and many of those who would have trampled their fellows a moment earlier, helped them up instead.  
Good, we need to get up north to give our people some air cover! Amy yelled back. Airdramon was already turning to the north, preparing for another race with another battle on the end. But this time both of them were feeling a lot more confident.  
We're on the way!  
  
New York's under attack! Ken was plugged into the radio by now, listening to terse reports from all around the world. The reports from New York were fragmented; the distortion field was rendering radio communication in the area nearly impossible. Still, there were observers with simpler radios on the shores of New Jersey and Long Island, and they had binoculars. Someone, through the crackling static, was describing the flashes of fire over the bridges. Hold onwhatever was happening, it looks like it's calmed down.  
Let's hope that's a good sign. Izzy muttered.  
Step on. Tai ordered, painfully aware that the digimon were already giving them everything they had. Let's go!  
  
General Hayes dove into the shelter offered by a concrete stairway, unmindful of the small cuts and bruises he got on the way in. It was better than being spitted alive outside. Around him he could hear soldiers taking similar steps, the clatter of metal across ground as they dived for whatever they could find. He could also hear the chatter of gunfire and he quickly offered a prayer of thanks that the disruption field had not rendered his guns obsolete as well.  
Then a deeper bark of gunfire rose up. It sounded not like his soldiers rifles, but rather like a full fledged pair of Vulcan cannons roaring in the background. Hayes blinked. None of his soldiers had that kind of firepower sitting around. Anything more complicated than a simple rifle had already malfunctioned its way into simple scrap. But the sound continued, growing louder by the second, and refusing to stop. Incredulous, Hayes stuck his head out from his shelter and gasped in amazement.  
There, walking down the street like it was the most normal thing in the world was what looked like a huge muscular bunny with gatling guns instead of hands. Gunfire rose from those two hands, blasting apart the dark things that were gathering in the sky. Beside the bunny was walking a human, calmly pointing out targets that soon became specks of dust in the air. And behind them walked a huge monster that looked like a cross between a long-armed ape and a dog. Suddenly the one in back sprouted what appeared to be missile tubes all along its chest, and yelled out in a deep voice:  
Koko Krusher!  
A dozen blasts of fire rose into the sky, and a series of explosions blasted at least two dozen of the dark flying bats out of the air. The boy caught sight of Hayes, lying there, watching, and quickly ran to the general's side.  
Sorry we're late sir. I'm Willis and I'm coordinating Team Eagle here in New York. We're trying to cover the evacuation routes from Manhatten and Long Island right now, but we decided to come up and bring you some front line support.  
Hayes took a moment to get up, in which he sorted his memory out and managed to remember what Team Eagle was, and what this meant.  
How many of you are there? He asked as he brushed the dirt off of his field uniform. The two digimon standing there had stopped shooting, but they still looked like they were ready to fight anything.  
I don't know. There were about thirty of us in New York when the hammer fell, but we're expecting more reserves from around the world at any point now. Willis looked around, and suddenly whistled. There was a blur of motion and then a massive Centaur-like being was standing there, a young hispanic girl dismounting from its back. We're going to try to hold them off until the rest of the digidestined get here. We're not very organized yet. He apologized.  
Any port in a storm. Hayes responded, trying to figure out where the rest of his command was. At least he finally had reinforcements of a sort, even if they were just kids andthings. Hayes brightened internally. These creatures probably knew all about fighting others of their kind. Maybe there still was hope somewhere in this mess. We'll sort things out, and see if we can hold the line. Do you know when we're going to expect the rest of your guys?  
Haven't a clue. The fighting's already started in the air. We're trying to hold the sky, but so far it's not going that well. I just hope the plane got away.  
What plane? Hayes asked.  
  
Lanis crouched down by the controls as the Gulfstream 5 shot over the United States, burning for Los Angeles. The Thunderbirds were a good team, but they had a lack of long-range flying digimon. Such a lack could be disastrous, meaning that a single digimon could not reach New York. They were flying in shifts across the United States, but it was her job to rendezvous with them before they reached New York, and fly them the rest of the way in herself. She felt oddly naked, deprived of Team Eagle's normal escort when she flew this plane, but every digimon and digidestined that they could find was needed elsewhere.  
She was still crossing Pennsylvania when she was nearly knocked out of the sky by a scarlet, black and blue thunderbolt going the other direction.  
  
Combat drop in sixty seconds. Izzy reported calmly, looking up from the set of networked computers at his feet. It had taken several frantic moments of scrambling over the pacific to set up the maps and the GPS to Izzy's satisfaction. He had pointed out that it was the most essential part of the entire mission. Without them, he could hardly hope to locate the members of the IDEF, who were scattered all over the world. He had also, in Tai's opinion, used up a year's supply of profanity in less then ten minutes, something that he had never known Izzy to do. Cody had gone off with his face flaming, and Tai was reduced to hoping that Kari had not known what half the words had meant.  
Right. Make me more nervous, why don't you? Joe murmured as he checked once again the fastenings that hooked him to Gomamon.  
Don't worry Joe. We've caught you lots of time. Tai gave Joe a winning smile that only increased the taller digidestined's worry. Still, this was not the old Joe. This one was prepared to go off the deep end, whether he liked it or not. That thought struck Tai as he watched, the thought that once upon a time, it would have been a fight just to get Joe to go off the edge. Now it seemed that time had changed him.  
Don't listen to him Joe. And don't worry about it. Lilymon and I can catch you, no problem. Mimi gave Joe another smile, and this one seemed to make Joe blush.  
Thirty seconds. Izzy barely looked up from his computer, a sure sign that he was now insanely nervous. He was also speaking in a near complete monotone, something that sent a very unwelcome chill up Tai's spine.  
The other digidestined looked even more nervous. On their way across the United States Izzy had stopped ImperialDramon's headlong flight to pick up digidestined from San Fransisco, Oakland, Reno, Salt Lake City, Kansas City, St. Louis, and then had proceeded onward, ImperialDramon full to capacity. There were so many digimon that for once the normally roomy space on ImperialDramon's back, surrounded by the blue shield of energy, actually looked crowded. Izzy was seriously scrunched against a portion of shell at the front. The other digidestined were somewhere between panic and fear. The only thing that seemed to be keeping several of them from running away was the fact that there was nowhere to run to. One girl had started to cry, but her friend seemed to be shaking her out of it. The digimon crowded around the back of the Mega looked more excited than they were scared.  
They're like we would have been. TK whispered to Kari. They were crammed together in one corner, Kari pressed against TK like he was the wall, TK pressed against ImperialDramon's dome. Of all the people, they were the ones that seemed to have no objection to the crowding, at least from the looks on their faces.  
Were we ever this young? Kari asked.  
Judging from what Matt said, I assume so. TK smiled lightly, and let his eyes wash over the fear. He could not help but feel that despite the anxiety and the terror in the faces in front of him, that they were at the forefront of something wonderful. For only the second time in history, digidestined from all over the world were coming to fight against the coming darkness. Despite the danger that he was walking into, TK could only see the beauty of the moment.   
Couldn't we land this? Joe asked.  
It's too risky until we know what's waiting for us on the ground. Tai shouted back. Wouldn't it be bad if we landed right in the middle of a company of Devimon or something?  
Yeah, I guess it would. Joe confessed. He didn't look very certain though.  
Combat drop, now! Izzy yelled, primarily for ImperialDramon's benefit.  
The Mega opened up his shield partway, leaving a small doorway through which the digidestined could leap. Tai stood still for a moment, and then jumped, followed by Matt, both streaking toward the ground. Joe stood up, looked out the door for a moment, closed his eyes and jumped, and suddenly he was gone too, with the ground rushing toward them. Mimi just smiled, waved, and stepped lightly out the door.  
Agumon...warp digivolve to...WarGreymon!  
Gabumon...warp digivolve to...MetalGarurumon!  
Palmon...digivolve to...Togemon!  
Togemon...digivolve to...Lilymon!  
Joe got the wind knocked out of him as Lilymon reached up and caught him, nearly sending Gomamon askew in Joe's arms. Mimi just smiled at Joe from the other side as the blue-haired boy began to shake his head to clear it. Behind more digidestined were jumping out of ImperialDramon. Those who had flying digimon jumped out in a group with those who did not, while MetalGarurumon and WarGreymon stood below, waiting to see if anybody would need catching. Fortunately the flying digimon knew their stuff, and they dove through the early morning cloud layers to grab their partners and their partners' friends. MetalGarurumon and WarGreymon did not have to catch a single person.  
  
Amy was nearly torn aside as a scarlet and gold lightning bolt descended from the heavens and send buffeting winds throwing her all around the sky. Airdramon jerked around just in time to see a blue and silver bolt follow, and then a whole rain of digimon carrying children and teenagers, grabbing on along to a whole collection of digimon. The cavalry had arrived in time it seemed, and there seemed to be almost a hundred of them jumping off the back of that great monster in the sky. Add that to the other digidestined who had been trickling in from all over the world, and they might still have a chance.  
  
We've lost listening post four. Colonel Craton looked grim, and Hayes did not blame him. So far they had not even gotten a good look at the enemy that was pouring out of the north, but the elimination of his scouting parties was a fair indication that whoever they were they were not only non-friendly, but vicious as well. He consulted his ever smaller list of reserves and shook his head; he really could not afford any more scouts right now. Originally he had planned by the book, but the reserves that he had laid aside were constantly being sent away, to help evacuate the populace and to plug holes in his line that he had not been aware of. His command post, now changed a giant portable classroom at a local middle school attached to his normal command truck, was swamped with calls asking for more information.  
Any idea how long we have before we get hit? Hayes asked Willis quietly. The boy stood by quietly with his two digimon, now back in their rookie forms. Hayes had not quite understood all the problems with this 'digivolving' thing, but it seemed that the critters needed to conserve their energy, and with nobody around to fight, that was fine with him.  
No. Could be any time now. How important is it? Willis looked back at Hayes quite calmly. He was behaving a lot calmer facing this than most of the professional soldiers Hayes had working for him. Then again, Hayes thought staring at the two digimon lying on the ground stuffing their cheeks, he probably had more experience with it. Now that he thought of it, there were only a few people in the world who probably had more combat experience then the children of Team Eagle. That was a strange thought, and Hayes was not altogether sure if he liked it or not.   
If they wait another hour or so we'll have time to evacuate most of the city. That means that we can pull the police and soldiers off of conducting the evacuation and bring them back to the front lines. If I could just get a mobile reserve... Hayes stopped as he realized that Willis was staring at the sky.  
I think you've got it. The big guns are here. Willis pointed at the street behind them.  
Hayes barely had time to register the empty street behind him when a huge creature landed so heavily that the pavement cracked. This one was impressive, gleaming golden armor radiating light, even in the middle of the night. Two giant claws stood ready on either side of him, long and gleaming wickedly. There might have been an ugly incident right there if Willis had not suddenly jumped in front of the magnificent warrior screaming out:  
Don't shoot!  
Reluctantly the soldiers behind Hayes lowered their rifles. Hayes could not blame them for wanting to shoot _something_. After all they had been standing here facing shadows for hours, and this huge warrior certainly counted as something.  
_Wham_. Another one descended, from the sky, this one a blue-gray metal wolf, looking for all the world like he was going to jump out and attack anyone he could see. A blonde-haired boy was clinging to the back of the wolf, and he yelled something quickly in a language that Hayes did not understand to the brown haired boy who suddenly emerged from behind the golden warrior.  
Willis ran forward, there was a moment of hurried consultation, and then he brought the brown haired boy forward.  
General Hayes here is commander of military forces in the area. General, this is Taichi Kamiya. Call him Tai. He heads the senior branch of the digidestined, so I guess he's our general.  
I ...am...sorry. Tai spoke very slowly.   
Where's he from? Hayes asked.  
Odaiba. It's a city near Tokyo. Willis responded, sensing the problem.  
Hayes rolled his eyes exasperatedly, as only a man who has had absolutely everything go wrong can. So what am I supposed to do with him?  
Willis shrugged as more digimon began to descend from the sky.  
Well, at least they can fight. Hopefully. We need to move this command post though. Hayes gestured to the mobile classroom behind him.  
There was a fast exchange of languages, and then the golden warrior, whom Hayes could see had a lizard face, stepped up to the room. With a barely perceptible effort he wrenched the building out of the ground and lifted it up to his shoulder. He growled something that sounded apologetic to the people who suddenly started to yell and howl inside, and then growled something interrogative to Willis.  
Willis turned to Hayes, his face struggling to remain calm. He...uh...he wants to know where you want it.  
Hayes tried to close his mouth. _That thing must weigh tons. My God, of all the lousy classes for West Point not to teach, they had to omit 'How to command giant monsters and save the world'. So, here I am with a broke infantry division, a bunch of police officers, a battalion of cadets, a group of kids and a monster that picks up buildings for fun._ Suddenly, he broke into laughter.  
What's wrong? Willis asked.  
What's wrong is that I'm not waking up. All right, let's move it out. He waved his command post forward, leading a giant dinosaur carrying half of his staff in a giant classroom wobbling from side to side.  
  
Daniel slammed a hand angrily into the terminal, but the computer screen refused to change. How could we have been so stupid? He asked himself angrily.  
We couldn't have known. Cassie tried to comfort him.  
Of course we could have known. Worldwide emergency, of course they shut the Chunnel down. And it's not like we can find a plane out of Heathrow or something. We'll have to fly the Channel ourselves, and we're going to have to slip past the RAF to do it. Daniel stared at the blocked entrance to the tunnel like it was a personal insult. Now it was going to get difficult. But regardless of the difficulty, he was intending to go through with his plan. He had given his word that the European Legion London would be ready to help wherever it was needed, and now that they were needed in Paris, to Paris they would go.  
Well, we're not getting anywhere standing here. Brandi complained. Let's get moving, shall we?  
All right. Daniel had just shouldered his backpack when a giant beam of blue light grasped the lot of them and yanked them away into the sky, to the awe of a railway police officer standing just behind them in the platform.  
  
What the hell?! Daniel swore as he felt himself being deposited on a hard surface. One moment they had been standing on a railway platform near London, the next...  
Welcome to the Odaiba express. Daniel blinked at that. He looked up to see the sarcastically grinning face of Koushiro Izumi looking back at him, Tentomon hovering by his side. That, at least, was a relief. Of all the people in the world who might be able to pull them out of this jam, Izzy was the best of the best, and Daniel knew it. At the same time, it remained to be seen what rabbit was coming out of the hat this time around.  
You again? What happened?  
We were passing by, caught sight of you using our digivices, and picked you up, we decided to give you a ride. Going to Paris?  
Daniel began to brush himself off.  
So are we. Fortunately it seems that we don't need to do many pickups on this route. We've dropped reinforcements off in New York, and now we're heading for Paris. Catherine tells me that they've cleared the area near the Eiffel tower for our use. Then we're heading back into the fray in North America. All hell broke loose in New York already. The European Legion is pretty big, so it looks like it's up to you guys to hold the fort for awhile.  
When do we get there? Daniel asked.  
About thirty seconds. Hang on, we're on final approach.  
  
It took Tai about five minutes to appreciate the well-oiled machinery of the Odaiba digidestined. About ten minutes after that, he was ready to discover the joys of pulling his own hair out in clumps. Fortunately Matt was around to thump him on the head when he needed it.  
Nobody out there knew anything about real fighting except for Team Eagle. And Team Eagle was scattered along the front lines, giving the various IDEF members that were already at the front some solid backbone. Tai, talking through Mimi, had given himself the task of organizing the rest of the IDEF, and it was rapidly becoming a miserable job. The number of digidestined who had done more than fight off the rare marauders in the digital world could be counted on one hand. Teams of children and digimon were obviously only groups of friends thrown together by circumstance. They lacked the polish of people who had thrown themselves into battle for their friends and allies. Without that polish, Tai was forced to rely on organizational skills that he did not know that he had. Strangely enough, he found himself wondering if he should have had Izzy run this show instead of him.  
Finally, after several minutes of pushing, pulling, and shoving, he had broken the digidestined up into squads that could at least support each other, groups that contained digimon with multiple skills. In close in fighting Tai was unsure about what kind of skills would be needed, but it would have to do. For the first time in a long while, he was suddenly trapped feeling like a child, surrounded by children. Over the years he had gotten used to leading the digidestined into battle, but he had forgotten what it was like to send inexperienced children into the same situations.   
  
Catherine looked around. The European Legion was accepted by a small group of police and government officials who actually knew of their existence, but they really had not been in the public eye before now. Now, at this point, with these times descending upon them all, they emerged from the shadows for the first time.  
Fortunately the Frankfurt division was only an hour out or so. The rest of the Legion was already moving in. By some lucky accident the Madrid branch turned out to have a digimon with enough stamina to get them here, and now they were standing in an ordered block of seven digimon at the foot of the street, attracting much attention from the police officers conducting the evacuation. So far they had not been bothered, but Catherine was fairly sure that sooner or later someone would come by and attempt to evacuate the Legion. Then things could get ugly. For the moment it was just the Madrid, Calais, Bordeaux and Paris divisions standing around. It turned out that there had been two IDEF teams within Paris that were not officially Legion, but they were grouped to one side, watching the Legion with something akin to awe. It was making Catherine uncomfortable. The real stickler was that the Rome division was unable to make contact, having the bulk of what was now accepted as enemy forces between them and Paris.  
There was a roar, and a familiar motorcycle pulled up beside her, and the fiercely Gallic-Japanese elder Takaishi looked out of it, peering shortsightedly at Catherine.  
What are you doing here? Catherine asked after a quick polite greeting.  
I had a call from my grandson. You remember him, no? Charming rascal. He said he was on his way here to visit me, so I thought I would come say hello. Behind the grin there was a deadly seriousness in the older man's eyes.  
Good. Did he say when he was coming?  
There was a sudden rush of air behind her. She turned around in time to see a giant blue beam descend from the sky, and ten figures clutching digimon descend from the sky. A moment later the London division was standing on the ground, right beside TK and Kari, both of whom were clutching their digimon to them. Cody and Sora stood next to them.  
Well, it's time to get things rolling. Catherine ran down the street toward them.  
  
The first probing attacks came all of a sudden, in the middle of the stillness that had spread over the battleground. Gizamon darted out of the walls of abandoned buildings, charging toward the line of infantry that was holding against them, searching for weak spots. But this time they were up against a group of organized men, waiting for them. And they were up against enemies prepared for their appearance.   
Despite their fearsome, otherworldly appearance, it did indeed seem as if these creatures were vulnerable to real world weapons. Gunfire quickly cut down the first ranks of Gizamon as they darted toward American lines. And, by the time the second ranks got there, reinforcements had already arrived.  
Nova Force! In one region the Gizamon were lifted off the ground by a storm of wind generated by a gold and scarlet thunderbolt that held them until they disintegrated into digital data. Hardened veterans watched in amazement like that of young children as the blur of motion resolved into a golden warrior who darted back the way he had come.  
Gatling Arm! Gargomon, standing at another corner calmly awaited the charge, machine gun fire blasting and tearing at his opponents. Rookie digimon were blown apart by the high-velocity machine gun fire. The overgrown 'gunbunny' stood his ground, fearlessly sheltering the soldiers behind him. Those soldiers in turn cleaned up anything he missed.  
God Tornado! Airdramon descended from the sky in another region, sending a vast tornado ripping through enemy ranks, sending hapless digimon spinning away to collide senseless into buildings and the ground.  
Take their observers too. Tai suggested as Willis translated.  
On it. Ice Wolf Spikes! The dozens of missiles let fly again from a position further back, this time they made it far, blasting digimon hidden from spying glances, but not from MetalGarurumon's sharp senses. Nearly a dozen digimon watching the battle from the other side were annihilated in an instant.  
General Hayes remarked. MetalGarurumon was hovering outside of the skyscraper they were using now as their impromptu headquarters, and where Hayes was directing the battle, primarily with the aid of the set of binoculars he was holding in one hand. Can you keep it up?  
If you can keep the food coming, then we can keep it up. Willis answered confidently. But right now all we can do is reinforce your own troops.  
Any port in a storm. General Hayes mentally chalked up a point for the good guys and went back to trying to figure out where the next attack would come.  
  
Michael was nearly washed aside by the wave as something huge rose out of the ocean next to him. For a moment he was on the verge of yelling for help as Seadramon rocked, but then stopped as he made out the face of the creature sitting there. Joe, now looking wet and uncomfortable, was there, sitting on top of Zudomon, whose huge bulk had caused the wave.  
Hey Joe. You're late! Michael called up in Japanese.  
I know. I know. You need us right now?  
Hell yes. We're escorting people off of Long Island and Manhatten by boat. You can carry a whole bunch of us, can't you? Michael asked.  
Yes. Where should we go?  
Head back toward those lights until you find a wharf there. Steve's there with Frigimon. He'll give you a load of evacuees to take to the mainland. See how many trips you can make before the real fireworks start. We'll try to keep the sea approaches clear.  
I hear you. Then Joe disappeared into the unlit spray of the ocean.  
Back to the patrol Seadramon. Michael commanded his companion.  
  
TK took a quick look around at what was there, and immediately the difficulty of his task set in on him. The digidestined that he was looking at were different than the ones he usually associated with. Despite the reputation of the European Legion as a high class association of experienced digidestined, he was suddenly painfully reminded how much more experience the Odaiba team had. He also became aware of what they had truly gotten out of their battles throughout the Digital World. A few years ago he might have thought that the behavior of the digidestined here, their determination to avoid running away, the fact that they were not screaming in panic was a mark of their courage and their skill, and it was, but it simply was not going to be enough. And he seemed to be the only one aware of the problem.  
There was a sudden comforting touch on his arm. He did not even need to turn in order to see who it was. No, there was indeed someone else who could comfort him. Kari looked at him and grinned at him. It looked like he was not self-nominated any more.  
He drew a deep breath as Catherine began to shout at some of the milling digidestined, and Adam's words came back to him. _It's best to do the right thing, but anything is better than doing nothing._ He took a long step forward.  
Hey. What's the plan? He asked. He silently blessed himself for having picked up a little French and a lot of English.  
We don't have one. Daniel responded bitterly from one corner.  
Does anyone have a piece of paper? He asked. He silently hoped that this was not going to count as stepping on anyone's toes.  
A digidestined who looked French shoved a pad of paper in his hands and he automatically fished for the pen he carried around with him. On the first page he wrote down the word _notes_, and then walked over to Catherine.  
Madam, if I may take charge for a second? He tried to convey the urgency and seriousness behind his demands in his gaze, but it did not seem necessary.  
Sure. Go for it. Catherine grinned, anxious to have somebody sort out this mess for her.  
Well then. I want groups. Sora, raise your hand Sora, is going to take down the names of all of you who have champions who have the ability to fly. All of you who have mostly land digimon, I want you to go over and give your names to Cody. Where are you Cody? Okay folks, there he is. I want you to give them the type of your Champion, and a brief outline of their abilities. All right, if you, as a team, have seen a lot of combat, and by that I mean a lot, and you think that you can't be split up because you already work together well, you come over here and talk to Kari, the pretty girl in pink. Understand that this means that I'll be throwing you into more danger, because you've got more of a chance of coming out of it.  
TK watched as most of the digidestined spread out and began to cluster near the points that he had indicated. Unfortunately there was still a group of increasingly nervous looking kids standing alone in the square.  
Ahhh, right. Gatomon, could I borrow you for a moment? If you don't know who your Champion is, why don't you talk to Gatomon here. She'll straighten you out. The rest of the digidestined let a look of relief settle over their features and immediately rushed over to Gatomon, who tried to keep things straight.  
All right. That's the first problem taken care of at least. Catherine, could I borrow you for a moment? Yes, thanks. Now I have another question, how official are we here? TK began taking notes as Catherine explained the general mistrust of the police force toward them, but their acceptance of their existence.  
Who's heading the civil defense. Do we know? He asked again.  
Catherine just shook her head. TK turned to his grandfather. Grandpa, could you go figure out who's in charge of the French army around Paris. And tell him that we're ready and willing to help when he needs it. Catherine, do we have access to digital cameras?  
The question clearly caught the French girl by surprise, but she slowly nodded after a few seconds of thought.  
All right. TK steered the both of them over to where Sora was standing, having just taken down the names of several fliers, and gestured for Kari to join them.  
Okay everybody, if I could have your attention for a moment? TK raised his voice, and the digidestined crowded around him turned to him curiously.   
Thank you. I hope we can get this translation problem licked soon, but thanks for translating Catherine. Anyway, I want volunteers, three digidestined with the fastest flying digimon you've got. You're going to need to take a digital camera out and take pictures of any enemy you can find. I know that they can disrupt most electronics, but it appears that we, as digidestined, have some leeway, because our electronic devices work when they're near us. I think it's some sort of cancellation field. Anyway, we've always been able to take digital pictures of digimon. I need you back too, so don't get involved in any fights. Live information and live digidestined are much more useful than dead heroes.  
Six hands rose and TK shook his head. Sora, you're going to be in charge of the airborne digidestined anyway. I want you to pick the three you think are best and send them out with any cameras we can scrounge up. Catherine, I think for the moment we need to find someone to put in charge of logistics, we may need a lot of equipment, and I'm not really sure how much of it I can find. All right, get moving.  
He turned abruptly to Kari. Kari, if you could, would you assemble the teams we have, three of them I see, to cover different sectors of Paris. We know the approximate direction from which they are going to hit us, so we might as well cover those sectors. I still want to keep them close, but make sure they know where they're going.  
When Kari nodded he crossed over to Cody, who was looking anxious as other digidestined looked up to him for leadership. When Cody silently met TK's eyes, TK smiled encouragingly at him. Cody, if you can I want you to split these guys up into groups of five. Let them get used to each other's digimon, and teach them the basics of how to dodge and run and avoid getting shot at. You have some time, because they're taking their time, but maybe not much, so try and make it quick.  
He turned to Catherine who was still following him. Catherine, I need you to help me out. You're the IDEF coordinator, so I want you to coordinate with the reinforcements that should start arriving soon. We need to find a better headquarters, but you should probably take the incoming digidestined and send them into one of the groups we've already got here.  
As Catherine turned away TK sighed and let the lonely mantle of command slip silently around his shoulders.  
  
Izzy paused for a moment to thank God, or whoever else might have been watching over him. He had forgotten that digidestined were rarely perfect, and what he had right then was a perfect example. Leaving TK they had flown off to pick up the Australian Avengers, whose battlefield expertise would be needed big time somewhere, but they had paused to pick up two groups on their direct flight path. Unfortunately what Izzy had forgotten was to chalk national boundaries into his plan. The group from Pakistan sat on one side, the group from India on another, half a century of mistrust visible in their eyes. Izzy rolled his eyes, and silently thanked God again that there had not been a fight right off the back.  
A flicker of motion caught his eye. The Pakistani and Indian groups had been staring at each other, but now one of the Indians moved. He reached inside his rough clothes and removed a single package of gum, wrapped in aluminum foil. With careful, deliberate hands he unwrapped the shiny foil, pausing occasionally to watch the light reflect off of it. And then he reached out, almost trembling in anxiety, and offered the open end of the package to the Pakistani group. There was a moment of silence, and then one of the Pakistani children, no less hesitantly, reached out and took a single stick of gum out of the package, and murmured a word that could have been   
Izzy forced himself to be silent, swallowing the urge to cheer.  
  
  
  
Review Please!  



	18. Night Maneuvers

Disclaimer: I don't own digimon  
Author's Note: Glossary:  
MRE: Meal Ready to Eat, the Army's standard field ration   
  
Further Note: All I know about New York comes from the maps I read.   
  
  
**

Episode XLII  
Night Maneuvers  
  


**_Courage is rightly esteemed the first of human qualities... because it is the quality which guarantees all others.  
_Sir Winston Churchill  
**  
** New York was ominously silent for a few minutes. Men and women on one side, digimon on the other, all waiting for something to happen. The silence was broken by a roar from the sky, and a sudden burst of blue light appeared overhead. Mimi, standing with a guiding light on the top of a Manhatten skyscraper smiled enthusiastically as the Australian Avengers, all nine of them, descended from a pillar of blue light, their digimon already prepped for combat. Behind them about fifty more digidestined descended, looking either scared, astonished, or like they were trying to pretend that they were not either.  
Good job. Get out of here Izzy! Mimi shouted up at the looming ImperialDramon. There was no reply except a blue flash disappearing over the horizon as Izzy took her advice.  
What's the situation here? Derrick asked almost as soon as he hit the ground. We picked up two of the Australian IDEF teams, and some from Pakistan and India. Right now we all speak English, but we could have language problems later.  
All right, I have orders for you all. Mimi spoke up loudly. If you have a flying digimon I want you to head for the southern tip of Manhattan, right over there. You're going to join up with the other flying digimon there, unless your digimon is not up to flying for a long period of time. Then you better come with us. We've got a command post set up in Harlem that we're running things out of for the time being.  
Five digimon set out with their partners for the flying rendezvous point, the rest came with Mimi as she headed for the elevator.  
  
We're withdrawing. Hayes announced. His officers nodded grimly. We've managed to evacuate everyone north of Manhattan Island itself, so we're pulling back to there. That narrows our front by about fifty percent. We've also given up on holding the Inwood area, so we can dig in on West 179th. I want first battalion sitting on that line. The second brigade better hold the waterfront. Unfortunately we're still trying to get the rest of first and third brigades over the river, but I guess we're going to have to settle with what we've got on this side. I don't know if we have artillery support, our artillery is sort of jammed right now, but if we do priority will go to the river units, because I would really like to be able to hold Manhattan.  
Can we expect reinforcements? Lieutenant Colonel Harvey from 1st battalion raised his hand and the question Hayes had really not wanted to answer.  
I have no idea. Hayes replied honestly.   
How about more digimon on our side? Harvey asked.  
Hayes asked, turning to one side.  
One moment. I just got a report from lower Manhattan and Mimi. It seems that we already have more. ImperialDramon brought in forty more of us, but only about ten are actual combat veterans, so we have no idea how effective they'll be. Willis looked up. Given that rate, I expect reinforcements to be dropped off at approximately half-hour or fifteen minute intervals. Plus I expect that we're going to get more troops in from other cities on the Eastern Seaboard, but that could take more time. Since we're probably fighting thousands from the look of it I don't know how much help that's going to be. It's the inexperience that worries me.  
How is that a problem? Hayes asked.  
Well, besides the usual difference between veterans and rookies, digimon are different. They have...well, the best word for it is energy. Whenever they digivolve to the next level, which makes them powerful enough to fight, they start draining this energy, and they do it fast. That means that we traditionally get only a few minutes of combat time out of a digimon. But, as they grow more experienced they get more energy, like getting stronger by lifting weights, which means that they can fight for longer.  
Is there anyway to recharge their energy? Hayes asked.  
Food, and lots of it. Willis replied shortly.  
Anything specific? Harvey asked from down in the audience.  
No, not really. Digimon will eat anything.  
Well we've got enough MREs to feed them for a year. Unless they get food poisoning and die. Harvey responded cheekily. Everyone laughed at that.  
I don't know what type of coverage you can expect though. Already our air defenses are going to be spread kind of thin. I'm afraid that air coverage is going to be real thin in the future. We'll have some air support, but probably not much available for ground attack missions. Willis thumbed through some of his notes. On the other hand we haven't seen any of the real big monsters yet. If they hold off some more, we can take the time to get our forces covering the evacuation here.  
All right, get back to your posts. We better be ready for them when they show up. Hayes clapped his hands and dissolved the meeting.  
  
General Sir Thomas Alexander swore up and down again. He cursed himself for managing to find himself in the position as senior NATO officer in the middle of Paris during the war to end all wars. He cursed his political leaders for leaving him with an army so small he could count it on the fingers of one hand, and he cursed the French for not listening to him, or actually telling him anything. He shrugged and went over to watch the Frenchman on the motorcycle argue with the French general.  
Something was happening. He would bet money on it, but there was literally nothing he could do about it. He was only here in this country as a guest, not actually in a formal position, so he was being left out of the loop by the French General Staff. That was bothering him. He knew most of the people who had survived the first series of attacks on government sites, and none of them were the people he would have chosen to France. Most of them were bold, decisive and determined to strike straight for the enemy, an invaluable trait if one was fighting in the jungles of Africa perhaps. But against an enemy that had so far stymied everyone who had taken it on, it did not seem a profitable strategy.  
Apparently the man on the motorcycle agreed. Alexander considered his French to be fair, but they were talking to each other so fast that they were basically incomprehensible to him. Both of them were near shouting at each other, spittle filling the air. The older man was yelling something about children, the general yelling something back about senility and insanity. Finally the general rolled his eyes, caught site of Alexander, and gestured him over. Apparently he was about to get a thankless task dropped on him.  
  
You still working on that? Ken asked, looking over Izzy's shoulder.   
It's bothering me. Whatever Utopia was building in there, I can't seem to figure out what it's supposed to do. But it's big, it's powerful, and it sure isn't intended to sit there forever. Besides, I need something to do besides worry. Izzy did not even look up from the diagram he was watching.  
Ken had to agree with him. Yolei was off flying escort beside them, and Davis was still a bit peeved at having to miss out on a fight. For the long flight over the Atlantic, even if ImperialDramon could cut it down to minutes, they needed some sort of entertainment. He tried to read the diagrams that Izzy was using, but failed. What have you figured out?  
That we've got a problem. For some reason they've built a device capable of creating either a black hole, or something disturbingly similar. But I still have no idea what they plan to use it for. Izzy stared balefully at the diagram.  
You'll figure it out in time. Ken replied confidently.  
You're no help at all. Izzy complained, going back to his work.  
  
TK grunted. He had three maps spread out in front of them, taken from some parent's car, one map of Paris, and two outlying France south of him. He had a command staff that consisted in its entirety of Catherine and Daniel, both of them standing by with their teams. He had a language barrier that he could barely believe, and if that weren't bad enough...  
Chaos was beginning to unfold in more and more spectacular ways as the digidestined arrived from different parts of the world. Most of them had very little idea of who they were, what they were supposed to be doing, or even why they were doing it. Most of them were also scared to the point of almost pissing their trousers. This had the side effect of making their digimon, new to battle as well, extremely nervous, adding to the general tension. TK was just hoping that this would all be resolved before someone snapped and created an even larger disturbance. He was too busy to worry about that now. Nobody, and by this he meant nobody, seemed to have the faintest idea what was going on. Even now a series of contradictory public broadcasts was being sent out over the airwaves, each one seemingly more confused and disjointed than the last. It was at the verge of driving everyone over the edge.   
Someone began to shout down at them from above, yelling in a language that TK could not understand. A moment later the language changed to French, asking for a place to land. TK did not even bother to look around as Catherine directed them down, only turning around when he heard the sound of an irritated digimon. A large Kuwagamon screeched in annoyance as someone stepped on its wings. A moment later it had calmed down and Johann, together with the rest of the European Legion Frankfurt had managed to get on the ground. Fourteen more digidestined rushed to the front command post of the InterDimensional Expeditionary Force.  
What's up? Johann asked as he made it to the table. We've been out of contact since leaving Frankfurt.  
We're in trouble. TK pointed at the map. We need time to evacuate Paris, and I don't think they're going to be happy with Paris. I think that they're going to head for Germany next. Which means that we better stop them here. Unfortunately there are a lot of them, and I don't exactly know how we're going to do it.  
Johann made a quick check to make sure that Catherine was allowing TK to usurp her normal position of authority, and then nodded. So, what's the plan?  
Hold them off. I want new organization. Cody, Sora, Kari, get over here. Cody, Kari, I want teams of your fastest and most able digimon standing by. We'll go in four groups as soon as our scouts return. I want three groups standing by to hit the enemy force on the flanks as soon as a target presents itself, with one group standing by in reserve. Kari, I want you to be field director there. Skirmish mode only. I want you to hit them for no more than two hours, and then withdraw ahead of them about fifty kilometers and regroup. Sora, while we get teams organized for this I want you to throw together a group of five flying digimon to give our land based troops some support. Make sure that none of them are prepared to engage directly.  
Got it. Sora resisted the sudden impulse to salute.  
Right. That given we've got to organize with local defenses. Let's get this show on the road people. TK stood up and looked around for Patamon.  
  
Joe, I hear something. Zudomon murmured nearly subsonically.   
What is it? Joe asked. He had learned long ago that Zudomon was a true marine mammal, and that his hearing, especially underwater, was incredibly keen. If Zudomon heard something, chances were it was really there.  
It sounds like a digimon. Zudomon admitted. But whatever it is, it's big!  
As if to punctuate his remark there was a sudden jet of spray and something that looked about the size of nearby Staten Island rose from the depths. The rising fins nearly threw Zudomon off balance as well.  
Watch it! Joe yelled, Zudomon cranking over so far that Joe nearly fell off.  
Sorry mate! A kid on the other digimon cheerfully waved back. But I didn't see you there. My name's Harrison, and I'm fresh from Australia. I heard you needed some help."  
Do we ever. I remember you. Well, you and Whamon better start evacuating people, but there aren't too many left on the islands. Follow Michael over there, he's coordinating things. Zudomon and I will get back to the front lines then. Joe nudged Zudomon, and Zudomon turned away. Good luck!  
Why do I need good luck? You're the one going into the bloody battleground. Harrison replied truthfully.  
  
This is fancy. Sora noted, looking impressed.  
Yes, isn't it. TK's Grandfather gave a typically Gallic shrug. We are lucky that I still have the key from the gates of Versailles palace since the last time I had to fix them. It will make a good command post. It is said that Louis XIV directed his wars from this building. TK here will be in good company.  
Did he win or lose? Cody asked from below the table, emerging after a moment to stare in wonder at the gold furnishings around the main dining table. There were so many that the room looked like it was the inside of a gold bar, and the gleaming light from the chandeliers sent reflections scattering everywhere.  
He won much honor and glory for the people of France. Of course, TK's grandfather added self-consciously, he was before the age of the Republic, when France rose to the pinnacle of both glory and power.  
TK grinned and ran a hand over the polished wood before setting the maps down on top of them, and pulling out the little plastic markers that they had colored in with a computer and printer. Well then, let's get down to giving the Republic another chance at glory, shall we?  
At that point the door to the room opened, and an older man ran in wearing an unfamiliar army uniform, panting slightly. He did not look French and, as he got closer, TK could see a Union Jack patch on one shoulder. He came up to the table and looked down, seemingly interested.  
You must be in charge here. I'm General Sir Thomas Alexander, British Army General Staff, and I was... He stopped and squinted.   
Kyle, the boy standing right beside Daniel whispered.  
Yes Uncle? Daniel responded nonchalantly. Any other time he would have been intimidated, but he had already seen TK's impromptu battle plans. Just brief estimations had given them a casualty count that scared everybody. The prospect of going into combat at a moment's notice had already scared him to the point where his Uncle lambasting things would not scare him any further.  
I suppose you will explain all this to me later. Who is in charge here? He stood a bit higher.  
I am. TK responded. I think I speak English well enough to be understood, and I'm the one who was standing in the middle when we needed a leader.  
Where are you from? General Alexander squinted.  
Odaiba, near Tokyo in Japan. TK replied, still staring at the maps.  
Japan! You've come a long way to fight this war. Alexander looked impressed.  
I've been waiting a long time as well.  
Well the French General Staff sent me to 'take control of those kids' as they so charmingly put it. I'm the only general here without an army or a staff, so it looks like I get elected to do the dirty work. They want you to participate in holding the city of Paris. Do you have a plan of some sort? Alexander looked bitter about something.  
At the moment, not really. TK replied, still focused almost entirely on the map. I've begun assembling a rotating skirmish team, three assault groups and a rotating reserve, hopefully to pull them in different directions. Also we're working an air team up to give us some measure of air superiority. We're going to try and slow them down. Cody, as soon as our ground scouts return, I want you to assemble a new, larger group, make it six of them. Make sure their digivices are rigged to communicate with us. Then I want to use them as forward deployed scouts. Place them at ten kilometer intervals around a convenient cutoff point. We're going to have to find one actually. But I want to know the moment they get within a hundred kilometers of the city. Next, Catherine, I'm going to need to start stockpiling supplies in the palace of Versailles. Primarily high energy or high sugar foods, but also some medical supplies. See what you can do.  
Now I'm really impressed. General Alexander stepped back, and shook his head. You've already got more of a plan than that beehive of uncertainty down at the French HQ. Daniel, maybe I should leave your leader alone, and talk to you for a few moments about what's really going on and how these digimon fight.  
Sure Uncle. Daniel nodded to TK and left as TK continued to absently trace his finger on the map.  
  
What are we waiting for? WarGreymon heard the grumbling below him, and cocked one ear in its general direction. He was caught hovering inside of a dark area under a billboard on a building of medium height, waiting for any evidence of an attack. The whisper below was just the cue he had been waiting for.  
The signal, you idiot. Another voice responded contemptuously.  
When's it coming? I want to fight. Another voice grumbled.  
There was a sudden shrill blast of noise coming from the darkened side of the river, echoing through the now deserted buildings.  
Well, let's go. The voice grumbled.  
Terra Force! There was a moment with the blast of light caught the entire company of Bakemon in the open, and then a moment later they were nothing except for gently drifting dust, settling to the ground. Then WarGreymon was blasting off skyward trying to find out where the attack was coming from. His effort was unnecessary.  
There were so many digimon that the river practically looked like it was boiling. Dark shapes flitted to and fro in the uneasy light of the moon and stars, and the air itself seemed crowded in some places. Some of the shapes revealed cruelly curved claws and teeth, some the leathery expanses of wings. All tried their best to look cruel and terrible, and the cumulative effect was almost like watching a nightmare unfold.  
But the defenders were waiting for them. Kids, trailing digimon, had turned up to talk to the individual soldiers holding the line, telling them that their enemies were, despite their monstrous appearance, flesh and blood. That if they were shot, they would die, that they could be killed. Now the second brigade of the 16th Mechanized Infantry opened up on everything moving across the river. Their armored vehicles had been disabled, but their guns relied on basic mechanical parts, and the chatter of .50 caliber machine guns spewing out bullets cut through the night. Tracers cut through the gloom, temporarily illuminating their targets.  
Bullets did not seem to kill digimon that easily, but they did the job. Each digimon took more bullets than a human would normally have been able to take, each body that disintegrated absorbed bullets, made the humans expend ammunition to destroy. And, while the dark tide surged across the river, swimming, flying or hitching a ride, semaphore messages were flashing back toward the central command farther back. Mortar batteries, smaller weapons than the massive main guns of battle tanks, coughed their rounds over the buildings. It was a difficult job, the mortars had been intended for use in more open terrain, and many buildings were struck by ascending and descending rounds that wandered slightly off course, but there were three mortar companies on Manhattan island now, and the weight of fire began to take its toll, mortar shells bursting in the middle of incoming digimon.  
From his position on the front lines Matt could quickly see that this was a swarming attack, and the Khartan was still keeping his big guns somewhere in reserve. He could not see a single Ultimate anywhere in the crowd, only Champions and Rookies. But these were not just Bakemon on a rampage. Matt could see Tyrannomon, Monochromon, Meramon, Kiwimon and other powerful Champion level digimon charging their opponents. The largest and most powerful digimon were hard to stop, they soaked up bullets like a sponge, remaining mostly immune to damage dealt to them by the soldiers they were fast approaching.  
From his right there was a flare of light as a soldier carrying a Light Anti-Tank Weapon stood up and discharged his weapon. The rocket struck an already damaged Tyrannomon square in the chest, and the digimon screamed before disintegrating into dust. A second later the enemy digimon were within range, and a Volcanic Strike blasted the unfortunate infantryman into pieces. Soldiers, following pre-assigned orders, ducked back behind their barricades, keeping their heads down as the first barrage blasted over their positions. There were some screams, but relatively few as the wave continued advancing.  
Matt yelled, and MetalGarurumon threw himself over the wall he had been hiding behind, eyes blazing. Other figures rose in the teeth of the cross-river assault, taller than the humans around them, and the IDEF opened up on their enemies.  
Blaze Buster! Solar Ray! Crusher Bone! Guardian Barrage! Flower Cannon! Metal Wolf Claw! Terra Force! For a brief moment the river blazed like the sun, and the digimon on the other side screamed as twisted rays of fire blasted through their ranks. The first rows, decimated both physically and mentally, fell back under the attack, confusing their ranks.  
Someone yelled below, and a hundred round, ball-like objects flew up into the night, landing in the middle of the mass milling around in the river. Many of the grenades exploded harmlessly after sinking into the water, but quite a few of them landed on other digimon. The rafts of floating digimon suddenly sprouted fire as the explosions wracked their members. Seconds later soldiers began popping over the barricades on their side of the river, guns rising to meet their foes. Carefully controlled streams of lead cut into their enemies, and then the soldiers dropped out of sight again, hiding back behind the walls. The digimon kept on popping up and down in different places, hopefully keeping the enemy off their toes.  
Tai's worry had been with the barricades. There was only so much that they could take, and as they began to absorb hit after hit, Matt began to understand Tai's worry. The barricades had been constructed out of concrete and earth dug hastily out of the ground. They absorbed heat and kinetic energy like rubber, but even they were beginning to show the effects of prolonged combat. As attacks continued to pour in pieces of the barricades began to fall down, hitting the river below with a splash. They had tried their best to dynamite themselves a steep embankment, but now it looked like the entire front wall was about to collapse on them.  
Spinning Needle! From above Airdramon dove on her enemies, golden blasts of light spinning out in all directions. Below dark digimon screamed and dove for cover as the rest of the airborne digimon returned to battle with a vengeance. Behind the river barricades there was another change of position and new digimon, just arrived from Tai's mobile reserve, managed to rush up to the walls and open fire on their opponents. These were less experienced digimon, some of whom were not even able to digivolve to Champion, but for now they were able to lend the line some extra firepower, and their arrival disinheartened the attackers. With double attacks from both the ground and the air there was a shift in the momentum, and the next moment their attackers were gone, leaving only their dying and injured behind. They faded back into the darkness cloaking the other side of the river and disappeared.  
We can't take too many more of those Tai. Matt explained as his digimon grounded itself. We simply don't have the power to hold this line. We've lost about half of our barricade as it stands, and I really don't want to be here when the whole thing collapses.  
I know. We're not going to be able to hold against another attack here, especially since Khartan now knows exactly how prepared we are. We're going to have to fall back at some point. Tai looked unusually pensive.  
Fall back where? Matt asked. If we start running, we might keep running.  
I just hope Steve's finished his job by now. Tai murmured.  
  
Move aside, move aside! Evacuees jerked out of the way as the huge walking snowman lumbered through the crowd on the docks. People screamed and jerked, but were kept from panicking by the group of armed soldiers, looking increasingly grim, running behind the digimon. The crowd at the foot of the docks was thickest, but eventually even they managed to clear out of the way.  
Steve called from Frigimon's shoulder as the digimon lumbered up to the giant whale docked at the end of the port. Change of plans!  
What is it? Harrison asked, scrambling back down the side of the whale. He recognized Steve instantly, but was not sure why he was followed by so many soldiers.  
We need reinforcements on Manhattan Island. I know you're still evacuating people, but we want you to take soldiers back with you. These are from the first brigade of the sixteenth. We're trying to feed them across the bridges, but the bridges are blocked too. You're going to need to ship troops across all night, because we really need them on the other side of the river.  
Harrison nodded, understanding the logic. If he was carrying evacuees over, he might as well carry soldiers back. He also gestured toward the ladders propped against the side of the whale, and the first of the reinforcements scrambled up onto their transport.  
  
ImperialDramon growled.  
Right there. That house with the light! Izzy nearly fell down as ImperialDramon turned beneath him. He was standing right behind the giant Mega's head, directing the digimon around the world. ImperialDramon might have been fast, but he also had problems with directions.  
There was a beam of blue light and then another team of digidestined was standing inside the blue dome. This team looked like they had seen some action off-world, they were all wearing roughed-up clothing and tattered backpacks that were bulging with what looked like survival gear. They had the look of someone who had seen some action, a faint reflection of what was in the eyes of the Odaiba A team.  
IDEF Seattle? Ken asked, reaching out a hand.  
That's right. You're Japan? The tall girl with the long black hair took Ken's hand in her own.  
One of them. We've also got one of the Siberian teams here, I can't pronounce their hometown, and three of the Korean teams. We're headed for New York. Ken explained.  
Well, I always wanted to see some action. The Seattle girl responded. I guess that this is as good a time as any.  
It certainly is. Ken returned. We're going to pick up a few more teams before we get there, but otherwise we should be all right.  
I'm glad. You get us there, we'll take care of the rest. The girl responded confidently.  
I'm glad.  
  
What's going on? TK asked as General Alexander re-entered the newly dubbed War Room. I know that something must be up, but only because we're monitoring.  
Monitoring what? Alexander asked, pushing an inconveniently placed eighteenth century chair out of the way.  
TK merely pointed at a simple police band scanner propped up in one corner of the room. A French boy was seated at a nearby computer, typing up the messages in English. It's our only connection with authority.  
Well, don't expect much from me. General Alexander muttered. I'm only here as NATO adjunctant to the French Army. And the French are keeping me as far away from their command structure as possible. I don't really blame them, if we had a French general in England, we would be keeping him far away from our command structure, but that doesn't mean that they have to do their best to infuriate me. The problem is that the French are confident of their superiority over the enemy, and they see no reason to engage the enemy with the help of unconventional authority. Which means you may be on your own.  
Any help from NATO available? Daniel had entered the room as well.  
No. NATO doesn't like this to be widely known, but we're stretched rather thin. Without the ability to use airplanes against this enemy, we're stuck with ground troops, mostly with KFOR in Kosovo or stuck in Germany or somewhere else equally unproductive. The Royal Navy would be glad to ferry British troops across the Channel, but we really don't have anyone on ready standby, and our ministers aren't helping. They want to keep a home guard around themselves. I guess I can't blame them. Plus the Americans just got the ground kicked out from under them, so we can't expect much support from them either.  
We've got people in America. We'll do okay there, but they may be busy for a while. TK reported. We're expecting to hit the enemy any time now. How well organized is the French Army?  
Don't ask. The general staff is calling in every reservist they can get their hands on, literally pulling them out of the woodwork, but they have serious problems now. The main arsenals are elsewhere, that is, the main arsenals they haven't already drained. They were not prepared to mobilize on a day's notice. Even the active units are taking some time to get into position. They'll have the bulk of three divisions in Paris when they get hit, but when they get hit, they'll get hit hard. Most of those divisions have their heavy equipment elsewhere, and I think they're going to get the shit kicked out of them, pardon my language.  
No problem. I have the feeling I'll be hearing worse soon. TK paused, then turned to the red-headed girl beside him. Sora, could you do me a favor and see if you can station one of your groups in an open spot? We might need them.  
She asked.  
If I was Khartan, I would want to cause maximum disruption. I would hit the French while they were still forming up, and that probably means attack from the air. We may have to deal with them a lot sooner than I thought. Cody, I know that your scouts aren't rested yet, but once they are, I want you to send them out to the east. I want to make sure that we aren't being flanked.  
If they flank us, could they cut us off from Germany? General Alexander stood up and peered at the map.  
I'm willing to bet so. And if they do, how much trouble are we in? TK replied, still studying the big map.  
Bad. That backs us into a corner. The only way out is to escape across the sea to England, and that means that we're going to be cut off completely from all our European allies.  
Well then, we better keep that channel open. Daniel, the skirmish teams are leaving momentarily, so you might want to join your squad. Kari's down in the main gardens prepping them for launch. She'll be in charge. I hope you don't mind.  
Not at all. Daniel turned to go, then, at the doorway, he turned around and saluted before leaving.  
Great, now everyone's making fun of me. TK grumbled.  
Not really, you make a good General. Sora whispered back.  
Yeah. Right. TK mumbled before turning back to the map.  
  
Tai heard someone mutter under their breath as they peered over the edge. The whole damn shoreline is moving!  
Somebody else yelled further down the line. In response there was a hiss and several white Magnesium flares burned their way into the sky, illuminating the front lines.  
My God! The soldier next to Tai whispered and Tai was forced to agree with the sentiment. The entire opposite side was a mass of digimon, all those types who had attacked before, but this time they were backed and supported by others. Minotaurmon, Dokugamon, Okuwamon, Mammothmon and dozens of other Ultimate level digimon.  
Here comes the big attack. Matt, fire plan two.  
Plan two. Tai's D3 crackled back in his hand, and a second later missiles began to impact on the opposite shore. Blasts of icy fire swept across the enemy, and many digimon were frozen and then shattered into dozens of pieces as they were hit again and again. This time there was no surprise available, it would be a straight out dirty fight from beginning to end. A golden glow suffused the human lines as digimon digivolved, and then a solid wall of Champions rose and began to fire. The outgoing fire stormed its way through enemy lines, blasts of red flame licking at unprotected flesh, blasts of blue fire striking fleeing backs. Tight packed ranks felt the metallic bite of missiles, the crackling contained lighting of energy shots, panicked as strike after strike slammed into them. But they were digimon, and they could strike back.  
Almost immediately there was a tidal wave of energy rushing back in the other direction. Most of it struck the remains of the initial fortifications as digimon ducked back behind shelter, but much of it got through and digimon began to shudder as they were struck again and again, buckling under the attack. Inexperienced digimon de-digivolved as fast as they digivolved and were immediately rushed back to the rear by soldiers assigned to the digidestined. Other digimon were overcome by sudden fear. The rain of fire was so intense that they knew that if they left safety they would soon be overcome, so instead of attacking they stayed hidden behind their walls and hoped that they would be forgotten.   
Now soldiers joined the battle, firing bursts from automatic rifles, illuminating the night with flashes from their muzzles. Bullets whined through the air, cutting holes in digimon and ground alike. Grenades flashed as they exploded, driving their prey back temporarily into the darkness, but still the enemy lines advanced. And advanced. And advanced. Despite the defender's best efforts, the tide continued to advance on them. It appeared that there was no stopping it.  
Just as the enemy wave reached the fortifications the army sprung their last surprise. Dozen of Claymore mines, buried in the front of the barricade fired as one. The interference from the digimon was so fierce that only about half of them fired, but when they did fire the effect was devastating. Steel balls and shrapnel exploded into the enemy, cutting through their ranks like a scythe through wheat. Digimon were literally torn apart by the blasts that detonated in their midst. Dark figures screeched in agony, a horrible symphony of dissonant tones that ravaged the ears of the listeners, and then disintegrated on the spot. The light of stars was suddenly replaced by explosions and the release of life force all throughout the night. The front ranks disappeared in showers of dust, ripped to pieces by the fire unleashed in their midst.  
But Khartan had clearly planned for a spirited resistance. His front ranks seemed to have been nothing more than cannon fodder, and they performed their duty admirably. The absorbed bullets and shot and died. They died by the numbers but they forced their enemy to expend that firepower on them. Soldiers hurriedly changed the magazines on their rifles as they took advantage of the momentary lull that the mines had bought them, but the cost had been high. Already there had been casualties in the defenders, soldiers wounded by the attacks, being carried backward in stretchers. And the mines had only destroyed the least powerful ranks of attackers, and now the enemy Ultimates were moving at them.  
Rifle fire did not slow down these behemoths, nor did the steady rain of mortar shells now arcing overhead, but there was something that could have, and something that did. As those monsters reached the bulwarks they were met by digimon pushing back. The battle turned savage, a nightmare of claws and flickering blasts of energy, a confused whirl of death and destruction. Digimon screamed and fell, or screamed and felled others, dying and living by turns, but fighting, always fighting.  
We've got to get out of here. We're about to be overwhelmed! Matt yelled to Tai as the flow of battle momentarily carried them within shouting distance.  
Yes. I know! Tai shouted back. But how?  
  
Silphymon, punch us a hole through there! Izzy yelled. MegaKabuterimon, you too. Let's go!  
Static Force! A dozen champions rushing the New York lines were blasted away by this, and ImperialDramon lined himself up for a clear shot.  
Mega Crusher! A ball of blue-white energy shot out of his mouth and slammed into the ground with the force that was so large it was nearly atomic. Suddenly the digimon that had formed the center of the attacking army were blasted either away, some disintegrating in the blow, some just thrown to one side. Then ImperialDramon was skimming his way over enemy lines, the shock waves of his passage throwing enemy digimon around like matchsticks.  
Horn Buster! Digimon died behind as MegaKabuterimon wheeled around firing, and then dropped ropes from his side. Three dozen soldiers how had been hanging on to the giant red beetle's shell rappelled down the ropes in seconds, and then MegaKabuterimon was lifting off again, even as the familiar blue beams finished depositing digidestined and their reinforcing digimon in the middle of friendly lines.  
Thanks Izzy! Tai and WarGreymon floated up next to ImperialDramon. You're a lifesaver.  
I'm glad you approve. Izzy replied. But we better get back to work. You have fifty more digidestined ready for combat. We've briefed them on what we know as they came here, but I don't know how much help they'll be against _that_. The enemy won't rest. They'll be back soon.  
I know! Tai replied. Get out of here Izzy.  
On our way. ImperialDramon paused momentarily to pick up Silphymon and Tentomon, and then turned into a blue streak, heading south this time.  
  
Steve forced his way into the command center of the US Army, panting, and thus gaining Michael's attention. Michael had taken over command duties here to free Willis and his two digimon to return to the front lines.  
What is it? Michael asked.  
We got all the evacuees out. I was sent to say that first brigade is mostly across.  
General Hayes stepped in. Tell them to form up with the NYPD on 125th street. I want them to make a wall there that will stop anybody, because that's where we're withdrawing next. Has anyone found the heavy artillery?  
Yes, but they're hesitant about firing into New York city without computer aid. They're afraid they'll start knocking down buildings.  
I'd burn the whole city if I thought it might help us win this, and they shouldn't forget that. Hayes snapped. How many of the fire department decided to stay?  
A lot have stood by helping others on the evacuee side, like you requested General. Steve reported, adjusting his glasses.  
Good. I know it's risky, but they're good men. See if they can clear the bridges. We might be able to get troops across that way. And then see if we can get reinforcements from the National Guard armories somewhere convenient.  
News from the front. An orderly ran up and immediately got Hayes's full attention. They repulsed the last attack, but only barely. It actually got hand-to-hand for a while apparently. They're reporting heavy losses on the riverfront, and are requesting permission to withdraw. Apparently they don't think they can hold it against another assault.  
And I don't think that they can either. General Hayes shook his head. But I also don't think that we have another choice. Tell them that I need them to buy me another hour at least.  
All right... The orderly seemed reluctant. But you might not like the price.  
That's _my_ conscience that it will be on. Hayes snapped.  
  
Oh hell. Catherine murmured just loud enough to be overheard by TK's Grandfather.  
What is it? The old man immediately leapt up.  
TK, General Alexander, we have a problem. Catherine looked around at them.  
Well, that certainly doesn't bode well. General Alexander stood up.  
What is it? TK asked.  
The French army apparently managed to put together at least half of their standing forces in a line to the south of our new picket line. They were under orders to stop the enemy advance and turn them from Paris. That was the general staff. We lost, they have found no survivors.  
Those idiots! Alexander raged impotently. I warned them that they should conserve their troops to hold Paris itself, not waste them.  
What were they trying to do? Cody asked.  
They thought that they were more than a match for a few monsters, especially since the monsters appeared disorganized, and did not seem to have much coordination going their way. So they thought that this would be easy to stop. Half of the forces that they managed to raise were based south of here. Apparently instead of sending them to Paris to hold the city, they sent them south to stop the monsters before they got close. And now we know that they lost. Wiped out. Totally. Probably swarmed under.  
TK whispered silently. The others, suddenly painfully aware of how young they were, stared at the ground. Thousands of men had probably just died horrible and painful deaths, and they were feeling...different. Nobody had taught them how to deal with this. General Alexander reflected that nobody had taught him how to deal with it either.  
All right. TK broke through their thoughts before it could become full fledged depression. New plan. Here's what we're going to do. General, estimate for me, how likely is it for the French to hold Paris on their own.  
Given that they just lost half their forces completely and totally, and given that they haven't reported any slowing effects, call it effectively nil. They aren't going to be able to do it.  
Then it's up to us. TK interrupted. I don't want to put pressure on you, but I damn well better, because as of now we are the last thing standing between Paris and the forces of darkness. We will slow them down, give the conventional military forces time to regroup and receive reinforcements, and time for us to receive new digidestined as well. We will hit them hard and cause maximum damage, to make them easier to defeat. We will defend this city as best we are capable of, giving its inhabitants time to flee. And if we go down, we will not go down quietly, and we will not go alone.  
I don't care about excuses and I don't care about odds. We have been thrust into great events, and we may be Europe's last hope. We will do our damndest, and we will do our best, and if we fall, then we will be remembered, and we will be remembered because we tried our hardest, and because we won. I know that the odds are probably against us, but I am sick and tired of losing, and letting the enemy win. I've done it enough in my life. This time we hold, and this time we win.  
The digidestined around him started clapping. Then there was clapping outside. TK went to the window and realized that it was down, and that below him the digidestined outside assembling for the first strike, including Kari had heard him. They cheered him, faces invisible below supporting him, driving him onward.  
TK spoke calmly into his D3. Launch first strike.  



	19. Strategic Withdrawl

Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon  
Further Disclaimer: It's not my fault the French are getting beaten up. I just picked on them because they're in the middle of western Europe.  
  
**

Episode XLIII  
Strategic Withdraw  


**   
_If in some smothering dreams, you too could pace  
Behind the wagon that we flung him in,  
And watch the white eyes writhing in his face,  
His hanging face, like a devil's sick of sin,  
If you could hear, at every jolt, the blood  
Come gargling from the froth-corrupted lungs  
Bitter as the cud  
Of vile, incurable sores on innocent tongues,—  
My friend, you would not tell with such high zest  
To children ardent for some desperate glory,  
The old Lie: Dulce et decorum est  
Pro patria mori.  
  
_Dulce et Decorum Est  
Wilfred Owen  
  
Hikari Kamiya, little sister, junior high school student, digidestined and wing commander of the InterDimensional Expeditionary Force hung grimly to Angewomon as the angel turned underneath her. The rest of her command followed grimly behind, changing digimon in order to keep up with the powerful Ultimate. European Legion London and Paris Central, minus Catherine, were storming behind her, with teams assembled from Paris IDEF teams, and the Bordeaux, Madrid and Frankfurt units spread out to either side. They had just passed the forward scouts that Takeru had sent out, and now they were roaring forward in combat formation.  
Teams two and three, break as soon as you see them. You know the plan. Kari spoke into her D3 and hoped that the plan would work.  
We copy. Daniel spoke back.  
A Spanish girl whom Kari did not know responded from the other side of the group.  
Above there was a whoosh and one of Sora's teammates flew a little too low down. Kari nodded up at the boy who was pulling his Thundermon back into formation. It was a relief that she would finally have air support. Despite the simplicity of the plan she was only too aware how easy it would be for everything to go haywire on her.  
I think I see them. Sora called down from above.  
Kari asked, and Angewomon lifted up oblingingly, revealing the terrain ahead. Right ahead there was a mass of blackness covering the mostly green countryside, illuminated in the afternoon light as a dark stain. Well, that's bad. TK, you there?  
Right here Kari. What do you want? TK's voice came through her communicator, lifting her heart.  
Just thought that I would let you know. It looks like whatever the French army did, it wasn't enough. The group out there is massive, just as big as our scouts reported. They've got digimon galore, probably thousands of them. I can't make out details from this range, but it's probably going to be bad.  
Understood. We're still rallying around here, but thousands are a bit too much for us to handle alone. TK dropped off the communication net, his last command implicit. Somehow Kari had to find a way to slow down her opponents.  
  
We're not going to be able to hold. Hayes pointed out. We simply cannot hold our current lines. The glimmers of morning sunlight had long ago crept over the buildings to the east, and now they were beginning to illuminate the street. We need time, and we don't have it. When are they going to attack again?  
I don't know General. Michael replied, staring out at the buildings to the north of them. How much longer do you need to reinforce?  
I wish I knew. Hayes stared upwards. But we've lost all our communications already. I want to hold New York, but it looks like we're not going to be able too unless we can buy ourselves some more time.  
How much do you want to give up? Michael asked.  
As little as possible. But I really don't get the opportunity to make that choice. Hayes looked very sober in that moment.  
  
Jeffery Winters grumbled as he looked around the converted mall parking lot that was currently serving as his squadron's runway. The remaining fighters belonging to the US Air Force, the US Navy and the Air National Guard were assembling here in Pennsylvania, so close to New York, and yet so far away. Not a single plane or helicopter in their entire arsenal could even get close to New York city, and so here they sat, billions of dollars of firepower, destructive capacity and US military might, made as obsolete as a flying tin can.  
This is one hell of a clusterfuck. Another officer muttered behind him. Jeffery was senior here by some fluke, and now he had the impossible job of trying to keep morale up. So far he had scored no successes.  
We've got company on the way. Jeffery reported. The Army's trying to stage an armored brigade through here.  
How are they going to do that? Someone asked.  
They're just driving through. Jeffery responded. God knows if they're going to get through this alive.  
  
Celestial Arrow! Angewomon curved in first, and Kari was on her back, leading Team One straight into combat. The digidestined followed her lead, peeling off just as they got close enough to the enemy to launch their attacks. Bolts of fire and light arced into the enemy and scored. The dark digimon were so tightly packed that every shot hit something, and, if the target was not destroyed, they were at least injured.  
Get back, now! Kari shouted, and the rest of her team ran for the farmland behind them as the dark digimon fire back. Kari's team was moving erratically and avoiding fire, but still they were bracketed by explosions that might have gotten them if Angewomon had not put out one of her glowing pink shields. All right Daniel, it's your turn now!  
The London team rushed in on Kari's heels, but on the other side of the advancing horde, barely visible from Kari's position. His job was similar to hers, draw enemy attention to somewhere else, somewhere away from their path. The horde drew to a close as explosions began to bracket that side of the force. Then Kari caught sight of Daniel and the rest of the London team, riding their digimon hard, but managing to get out of the firing area before they were barbecued. A group of digimon broke off on their heels, chasing them fast over the farmlands.   
Team three attacked at the same time. They were less organized, so they swept in at an angle, fired a single salvo, and then ran off again. They were also pursued, which was what Kari had counted on as she looped her team around behind a concealing hedge. Her group of digidestined, most of whom had never seen combat before, ran alongside her, whether heartened by her presence or terrified of the enemy she was not sure.  
Good job guys. She called as Angewomon set her down behind the edge of the green barrier. You did good out there for your first time. Just get yourselves stable. Drink some water if you can. And get ready, because all hell is coming this way.  
Just a minute later they could hear the sound of running digimon and panting. A moment later team three ran by, each one of them mounted on their digimon, clinging on for dear life. After them Kari could hear the pounding sound of other digimon running, and gestured for her team to lie down and hide. Just meters away there was a spurt of dust and a dozen digimon burst past, Monochromon and Tyrannomon running in great leaping gallops, each one having several Gazimon riding on its back, cheering them on.  
Kari yelled and hurled herself out of hiding, followed more slowly by the other members of her team. But what was important is that the digimon followed her lead, jumping clear and opening fire on the enemy digimon. A bolt of white light speared two Tyrannomon at once, dissolving them into digital data. A storm of fire from the other digimon blasted at their opponents, tearing into them and sending many of them sprawling all over the landscape. Deleted data rose from them in a veritable fog, rising toward the heavens, which opened to recieve them. Team three ceased running away at the sound of battle and began to add their own attacks into it. A moment later it was all over, and only digidestined and their partners were standing there.  
Kari asked her D3.  
We're finishing up the last one here. Daniel replied.  
All right. Places everyone. Kari called into her communicator.  
The plan was as simple as it was unnerving. The horde must be getting nervous by now, must have been running high in anxiety. After all they had been attacked unexpectedly, and not by an army but rather by a group of digimon, enemies that were like them. They had sent out pursuit, and they had heard the sounds of battle, but their pursuit had not returned. As Kari's forces took up position she imagined that she could see a wave of worry and apprehension sweep through their forces. Perhaps they were wondering if there was actually a trap, a huge enemy army waiting on the other side of the obscuring hedges and inside the rows of carefully planted crops. Perhaps they were growing afraid.  
The attacks started the same as before, except this time it was Daniel who started it, and at a different angle. Originally he had simply attacked from the front side, aiming at the flanks of the enemy horde. This time he had managed to use the time to circle around to the rear, and his attack caused panic. For a moment the horde was under attack by an enemy they could not see, and the fear and anxiety caused by that first wave of successful explosions rocked the entire body. Digimon immediately turned around to see who was attacking them. Even though it was only six against hundreds in the flank Daniel was attacking, the London team was well trained, and knew the limits of their digimon well, and were getting through the sporadic return fire unscathed.  
Once they were turned the wrong way Kari moved in for the kill. This time Angewomon simply concentrated on putting as many of her arrows as possible into the air at the same time. Now their job was to whittle away the numbers of the forces facing them by sheer persistance, before anything big came after them. Her teammates, most of whom she did not even remember the names of, began firing themselves, digimon planting balls of fire and electricity through their enemies, strafing them while running sideways, and then falling back, when the enemy had their range.  
Team three attacked just a few seconds later, from the place where Daniel had attacked last time, blasting their enemies from long range, taking advantage of the horde's close packed ranks to hit target after target when they were too far away for accurate fire, and then running as fast as they could once their enemies had their range.  
But even the best plans can have a fatal flaw.  
  
I think they're gathering again. Agumon sniffed the air, stopping his ceaseless eating for a moment and staring alertly across the river.  
How can you tell? Tai asked urgently.  
This nose knows Tai. Agumon was still staring intently.  
I'd take him at his word. Palmon stood up as well. Gomamon tottered beside her. The four digimon had been enjoying an extra breakfast in the ruins of a set of buildings that had once been apartments, but had been blasted down to ruins. Some thoughtful soldier had managed to break up the remains of a table into firewood, and had started a fire with it. Now they could huddle around and remain dry even while morning fog continued to blanket much of the area.  
Why now? Matt asked as Gabumon stopped eating for a moment.  
Probably because they could be hidden in the fog barrier, just like Myotismon did that one time. Gabumon thought out loud. We better warn the others.  
Warn them of what? Matt picked up his gear and began to slip an armored jacket he had managed to borrow back over his shoulders.  
Tai pointed up and yelled at the same time.  
It seemed that the enemy had realized that attacking across the river was a waste of everyone's time, and had tried the subtle approach this time. Now they came through the sky like a storm, raining down on their enemies, screaming in rage and defiance. In return a dozen different positions opened up on the air diving shapes, but the return fire was pitiful in comparison to what was coming in from above.   
Digimon of all types filled the air. Bakemon roared as they descended, Vilemon flapped their wings, Devidramon gave off unearthly howls. There were screams mixed into that cacophony that Tai would later swear sounded like the gates of hell opening up. They fell on the outnumbered defenders like a storm, swooping back and forth overhead, claws flashing as they closed on the ground-based infantry.   
The sky turned black, and with it, Tai felt his heart grow cold, felt the breath still in his lungs as he watched the enemy come. Even the sun was blotted out by that force, and Tai knew what would come next. Men screamed and fell as the blasts of deadly digimon impactd them. Flesh seared on contact, muscles tore, bones shattered, and there was sickening thud after crunch as bodies fell to the ground. Screams filled the air, and there was little, if anything that the digimon could do about it.  
What the hell do we do now? Matt yelled over the commotion as MetalGarurumon struggled to force the enemy away from them.  
Running comes to mind! Tai replied, ducking down behind WarGreymon's protective shield just in time to avoid being boiled alive.  
Suddenly all four digidestined were scooped up by Zudomon, hidden under his protective shell to keep them out of the way. With their companions safe, the other three digimon lifted up into the air, fire and light spilling from them. WarGreymon's claws flashed like a hurricane, surrounding himself with a wall of living steel. MetalGarurumon unleashed salvo after salvo of missiles from his living launchers, pouring out a constant rain of fire on the enemies. Lilymon just concentrated on blasting anyone who got too close to the three of them. But soon they were surrounded in a wall of darkness.  
In the distance Tai could see the airborne teams assigned to Team Eagle struggling against their own enemies. They had just gotten back in the air when the attack started, and had opted to fly higher than their enemies, moving out of the way of that giant cloud. Still, like some primordeal monster it reached tentacles up in the sky in an attempt to grab them, to pull them back into the maelstrom, but the Eagles were staying well out of the way of that.  
And then, with a rush of wings, they were gone, lifting into the sky like a cloud, like the reverse of rain, combining into a massive patch of darkness that blotted out part of the sky. Tai watched after them with amazement, wondering at their sudden disappearance.  
Oh great. Joe murmured, looking the other way, and Tai jerked around to see what he was staring at with such a horrified expression on his face.  
Tai paused while he searched for an appropriate word. There, in the middle of the barrier, or where the barricade had been, was a gaping hole in the wall surrounded by dead bodies, dead human bodies, thrown around like matchwood. Some of them were trailing blood and entrails from them, and some of them were horribly deformed as if they had been crushed to death. Some others were only recognizable as humans by the uniforms they were wearing. Standing over them was a group of Triceramon bellowing at the top of their lungs as, behind them Bakemon, Woodmon, RedVeggiemon, Tankmon and other unsavory digimon streamed past the defensive walls.  
Tai swore as he took off running to try and salvage something from this.  
  
What the heck is that? A boy with sandy hair asked, staring at Manhattan Island as if gleamed in the sunlight, the reflections making it hard to see anything.  
I don't know. Izzy answered automatically, before even looking, but he saw the problem immediately. The entire northern part of the island looked like it was covered in a dome of blackness, some sort of artificial construct larger than any building Izzy had ever seen. But there were differences. Inside it he could make out dark shapes and shadows, moving too and fro, giving the whole structure the appearance of being alive, of actually being able to move, like some giant living jelly, some protoplasmic blob that had decided to latch itself onto New York.  
I have no idea. Ken whispered from Izzy's side. Is that a digimon?  
And then the top of the dome broke, and a steady stream of darkness began to head in their direction as they coasted closer and closer to the city. Izzy peered, and then realized as the strand got closer and closer to them that it was not really a single strand, but rather dark shapes. Hundreds and hundreds of dark shapes, all speeding straight toward them.  
No. It's hundreds of digimon! And I don't think they're happy to see us! Izzy shouted. ImperialDramon! Get us out of here right...!  
Izzy had to stop his sentence. ImperialDramon had already seen the danger for himself. He might have stopped to fight it under other circumstances, but these were not other circumstances. Despite the fact that he would never have admitted it under any circumstances, he was fast getting exhausted. The huge Mega had been flying for what felt like forever, and he did not want to risk the problem of transforming back into two rookies a kilometer in the air. Immediately he turned around and began to speed away from the oncoming horde.  
Izzy watched them outrun the tendril with a grim expression on his face, before turning to face Ken.  
Do you know what this means? Izzy asked.  
That they've got a lot of help? Davis hazarded.  
No. They've cut us off. Izzy replied seriously. New York's on its own.  
  
Adam leaned back in his chair and sighed, thumbs digging into the hollows that lack of sleep had driven into his eyes. With the change in time differentials he had been fighting for twelve days. Even once Gennai had shot out their carrier units in the first minutes of battle, he had lost almost a half dozen worlds already, and it was not looking to get any better. That trick would not work again.  
The dark had been able to pass through the next transit point, in time to see Gennai's force of battleships retreat to the next world in the chain. Attacked only by small forces of digimon, they began to relax. The fact that Gennai had defeated only their carriers seemed to indicate that Citadel was aiming for a long range match. There the fast Citadel capital ships could run faster and escape the ponderously slow battle-line of their foes. Only massed squadrons of digimon launched from their carriers could hope to catch up with them, so they had brought their reserve carriers up to aid their frontline units. It also indicated that the forces of light were unwilling to engage in the slaughter involved in descending a transit point. Their best shot would have been intercepting the forces of darkness as they transited up the chain, as that was a constrained transit point, meaning that Gennai could have predicted within half a kilometer where his target would have emerged. That fact that they did not indicated that they were unwilling to engage in the such a manner. So they had chased Gennai's retreating battleships, hoping to catch them before they could make it back up to Cormere, where they would have heavy warships backing them up. If they could chase Gennai fast enough, they could prevent Citadel's superior HV missile technology from having a telling effect. They had rushed the constrained transit point to Doggrel in an attempt to do such.  
Adam and Fourth Wing had killed the first sixty dreadnaughts to come through the transit point. He had been waiting within X-ray laser range, and the slaughter had been beyond belief as weapons of thermonuclear potency tore through shields and armor alike at range of as low as a hundred meters. Then it had dissolved into a melee as the dark committed their supercarrier and reserve dreadnaught detachments early, and digimon and fighters had swirled and died as warships continued their suicidal pounding at ranges barely exceeding a kilometer. In the end Adam had withdrawn, Fourth Wing having lost twenty-six dreadnaughts, nineteen battleships and almost a hundred support and carrier vessels. The dark had barely secured Doggrel when Adam, still aboard the battered _Leonidas IV_, led the entirety of Fourth Wing's surviving line of battle, supported by the fresh and unbloodied ships of Fifth Wing in a crash transit assault right in their face. A two day running battle of suicidal intensity had killed another quarter million of Citadel's finest, but took ninety enemy dreadnaughts and seventy-three supercarriers with them.  
But the bastards kept coming.  
Now, two transit points closer to Cormere, Adam waited for them to come, fingering his pointer gently, waiting, always waiting.  
Sir. Incoming! The warning was unnecessary, and Adam watched in mild surprise as, instead of the expected bombardment, the first massive enemy Dreadnaught appeared on his screens.  
I see it. Well, here we go. A second and third enemy appeared on the screen as the ready squadrons roared off their decks and the close in units began to fire. Tell the missile ships and the snipers to stand off and engage the enemy, maximum salvo density. Concentrate on the trailers. He turned to his flag captain. Everyone else, attack plan alpha three. Let's go get them.  
Adam smiled slightly and sank back into his chair as the _Leonidas_ bucked and the first salvo of Hyperveocity missiles streaked toward his opponents.  
  
Where are they? TK asked, ignoring the others crowded around the table.  
A French girl sitting next to a map scrunched up her brows for a few moments, and then called out a few numbers in French that Catherine quickly translated into English. TK let his face sink back into an emotionless facade and calmly placed the correct markers on the map below. There were all too many red markers there, marking the great mass of the enemy, far too few markers representing teams still on their way and expected to arrive.  
It was one of the great feats of modern history. Within a matter of hours a group of children who had never had any formal training or experience in these matters, had combined into a solid command and control group, dealing calmly with most of the problems that had so far cropped up. It was an incredible feat, and the language barrier and the tension in the air only made it more memorable. But compared to the feats that would shortly be required, nobody thought much of it.  
Not good. General Alexander, peering over the blonde boy's shoulder, looked concerned. Are they really moving that fast?  
Catherine responded, silently measuring the distance. It was hard to do on a map, but the constant movement of the horde had given her some practice. If Kari can't slow them down they'll be within striking range of Paris in twelve hours.  
  
In the heady excitement of combat, in the moment when there seems to be nothing but the game, a game of tag where you are always one step ahead of death, it is easy to forget the limits. For the inexperienced digidestined holding the front line it was just a single misstep, something so easy that, had they been confronted with it, they never would have believed it. Kari's control was flawless, and her diving strikes were impressive, even to those who had never seen digimon truly fight before this day. The constant exchange of charges, long range fire and close in attacks, the drawing out of the enemy came in a dreamy dance.  
The forces of darkness simply could no longer hold up. Kari swept down on them like a tornado, arrows of light scything through their outward ranks, sometimes pinning down the odd digimon on the outside, sometimes cutting into the nameless mass. If Kari was unable to drive the enemy to distraction, there always was the London team, operating on the other side. Deltamon roared, three mouths open, unleashing a deadly rain of fire on his foes, Daniel clinging to his back, yelling commands, mostly to Kyle and Brandi, and their companions, Tuskmon and Mojyamon, who stayed loyally by his side. Other digidestined rode their companions like horses, letting the running, bunching muscles take them into danger and out again without a scratch to show for it. Sora's group stayed out of range too, instead of attacking with their low flying attacks they stayed back and dropped rocks on their opponents.  
And then one digimon, a novice, a Monochromon, digivolving for his second time ever, made a miscalculation. He was unused to this, and now he was tired, but his digidestined did not see, and did not understand, until too late. He was slow, not moving as agily, and a single attack launched from a prowling Devidramon hit him from the side. He uttered a heart-rending scream, and then collapsed in a flare of golden light, resolving into a rookie for a moment before he disappeared into the arms of his companion, and then into the wings of darkness. The faster of the dark digimon, taunted for too long by the sniping attacks that clipped their wings reacted like an angry storm, and within seconds the two bodies were surrounded by a dark, ragged crowd of twisted bodies. Then there were other sounds, screams and yells, both of pain and anger. And then, even from where Kari was flying on the other side, she could see the rhythm of death began, see fists rise and fall, rise and fall...  
Heaven's Charm! Angewomon, sensing perhaps Kari's urgency and her sudden overwhelming anger unleashed the burst that drove the dark shapes back, but it also let Kari see the worst. She almost vomited as she saw the twisted remains of what had once been a human being, and the familiar dust of digital data that marked the passing of a digimon. She screamed, a scream of primal challenge and fury, roaring her anger to the skies, and Angewomon took up the call, golden hair streaming, but something else broke into her attention.  
Deltamon had paused at the edge of the engagement zone. One massive skeletal hand had halted, holding a struggling girl back with the gentlest touch he could muster. The girl was frantic, crying in shock, screaming in French, but Kari could not make out the words, only the hysterical tone. She could feel it mirrored on the faces of the other digidestined. Right now, they needed a moment to regain their strength, to recover from the shock. And they were tired, they needed to rest.  
She cursed herself, from the bottom of her soul to the top of her head at the folly that had sent the boy out to die. She, the most experienced of them all, should have known, of all people, the danger of fighting to exhaustion. She should have remembered that these were inexperienced digidestined, that they did not know how to fight in the digital world. It was her fault that the boy, and that was what he had been after all, a boy, had been out where he should not have been, and when he should not have been out. Something in her stomach felt like she had dropped an anvil on it, clenching up and contracting as the weight pressed on her bowels, leaving her screaming at her fate inside. It burnt and froze and tore at her, all at the same time, and left her feeling as if she had failed everything she had ever believed in. She wanted to sink down and cry, but something inside, the iron that had always emerged when she needed it most, refused to back down.  
Fall back! She yelled to Daniel as she passed by, above the morning keen of Angewomon marking the passing of a comerade. Fall back to the next line of hills! Go, we'll meet you there! Go, now!  
Slowly, as if rising from a great distance away, all the digidestined began to fall back. Kari looked back, at the twisted lump of broken flesh lying on the ground, and began to cry, even as Angewomon carried her on.  
  
TK, we're breaking off. Kari's voice sounded oddly strained, and TK immediately looked up, alarmed.  
Something's wrong. Cody muttered unnecessarily as Armadillomon jumped up on the table to get a better view.  
Kari, what happened? TK asked, slowly and carefully.  
I...I'm sorry TK... The voice broke off after a moment. I lost one of them. Then her voice faded off as she turned away.  
Catherine swore. TK simply did not move, he just stood there, staring aimlessly at the wall for a time. Then, he turned and walked slowly out of the room, every step as if he were struggling against an invisible tide.  
The first. Patamon murmured quietly. But I don't think this will be the last.  
  
Color. Flashes of it, discordant, red and blue and green and grey. Screams, shots, sounds of horror rending the air. Torrents of fire. Storms of ice. More flashes. Striking out and finding flesh. Moving, reacting to the sense of danger. Dodging, ducking, hiding. Striking again. The world for WarGreymon had shrunk down, and now he was transformed once more into a killing machine. His claws ripped through dozens of dark digimon, sending their data scattering everywhere, but they kept coming. They surged against him, as unstoppable as the tides, and threatened to overwhelm him with sheer numbers. He struck back again and again, but his opponents simply kept coming, thrust into him by the push of the crowd.  
And the tide did not stop. It kept coming, one after another after another, storming toward him like a hurricane, unstoppable as a force of nature. He stood in front and let them bounce off of his armor, but there was little else he could do for now. Still, someone had to stand between the enemy and the frail humans that he was protecting. He could feel his armor rent by unseen blows, could feel streaks of fire squeak through his defenses, and could feel the steadily mounting pressure on his front.  
WarGreymon! Fall back! Hurry! Tai's voice could barely be heard over the din of battle, but WarGreymon understood it implicitly and responded, darting back as fast as he could through the tide standing in his way. Individual monsters looked at him in askance, and then in sudden terror as he barreled through them, but he ignored them, trying to reach Tai. That was his only purpose now, to get back to Tai before anything else happened. They were not in danger of being overwhelmed, they had already been overwhelmed, and WarGreymon knew that there was nothing he could do about it. At best he could hope that their desperate defense had bought them some time. Every so often he saw a human, sometimes a soldier still vainly trying to fight, sometimes a body on the ground. Some of the bodies were obviously dead, but others were moving, trying desperately to crawl to safety. But there were too many of them, and WarGreymon could only watch helplessly as too many disappeared under the dark forms of the horde.  
And then he burst through the crowd, and there was Tai, standing there, holding a baseball bat in one hand that he must have picked up somewhere, crouching over a body that was leaking blood all over the ground. He was surrounded by Gargomon, Endigomon and Lilymon and a dozen other soldiers, most of them covered in blood and sweat, their weapons blazing in their hands. They looked dirty, filthy and desperate, but at least they were still alive, and the tidal wave of bullets was keeping their opponents temporarily out of their way.  
WarGreymon, we need to retreat! Tai called.  
We aren't going to be able to stop them! WarGreymon yelled back, one claw slicing a feinting Bakemon in half, the other catching a giant WaruMonzemon in the chest. Not if we couldn't do it here!  
Trust me! Tai yelled back, and he grinned that grin for a moment, just a moment. WarGreymon had to admire the boy's confidence. In the past few hours he had been exposed to more death and destruction than he had ever seen before in his life, but Tai was still all right. He seemed to be taking this all better than WarGreymon. Perhaps it said something monumental about the human spirit.  
WarGreymon shrugged and swelled up, as if he were about to launch an attack. Immediately the digimon pressing against them drew back in fear, they wanted no part in a Mega's full barrage and that gave them a moment of maneuvering time. Having worked with WarGreymon so often before, Lilymon immediately realized what was happening, and blasted a corridor through the dark bodies behind them, sending them flying. Gargomon and Endigomon went next, with the humans clutched between them, running as fast as they could. It was a desperate progression, ragged breaths, blind firing and random breaks of blind firing as they moved through a path of destruction.   
They broke through the enemy concentration, but that was not the end of the problem. The evil digimon were desperate as well, half-starved, vicious beyond any reason beyond any measure, beyond anything. Some of then had been maddened beyond belief, and were faster than the pack, and had fallen on the retreating soldiers of the 16th as they attempted to withdraw from their position. It became a scene from hell. The commanders of the American troops were good, some of the best, but even with all the discipline and training they had, there was nothing to prepare them for this horror. The sight of monsters tearing apart their friends and comrades, the death and destruction that surrounded them had taken their toll. Too many had died in the combat preceding these moments, and now they were retreating in disarray, small groups clustering together for self-preservation. There was scattered fighting between Gizamon and other fast, small digimon and groups of soldiers carrying nearly exhausted weapons as the Americans tried to retreat, and their pursuers tried to catch up with them. Tai found his group growing bigger and bigger as they scythed through what enemy stood before them, and scattered troops joined up with them, grabbed or helped along by their comrades.  
The streets were mostly blocked. Cars, smashed by the fighting stood on their sides, shards of window glass covering the streets. Huge chunks of concrete were scattered all over the ground, like snowfall. Trees had collapsed, buildings were missing huge chunks, and there were pools of water mixing with the oil of the streets as water pipes shattered. Moving became an exercise in gymnastics, scrambling over one obstacle after another, already trying to keep ahead of what they knew was after them.  
Finally, after what seemed like an eternity they reached a clear area. Here the street had been cleared manually, by hand by what seemed to be a tremendous amount of labor. Here there were clearly defined barricades, overturned vehicles, fallen concrete and the remains of once-proud building constructing a solid wall blocking the street access. They were close enough to city center that Tai could see Central Park in the distance, but the waiting bulwarks were good enough for him. As they came into the open he could see the movement as people turned to watch him, and then turned back to watch the front lines again. Tai sighed with relief as he saw the tattered American flag, still waving overhead. One line, at least, was still holding.  
Steve of Team Eagle was waiting for them at the top, his glasses missing a chip out of the corner of one of his lenses, but otherwise intact. Mimi and Joe were there a moment later, and Tai swore he could see Matt out flying through the sky.  
You made it. Joe breathed out a sigh of relief and grasped Tai firmly. We were worried.  
I'm all right. Tai smiled wanly. But I sure appreciate you guys sticking around. How we doing?  
While you were keeping them busy up at the north end of the island we managed to get most of 1st brigade across and set up here. Steve reported. We've got some National Guard movement into our rear right now, but for the moment everything we have is here.  
Then it's settled. Tai stated firmly. We hold the line.  
That was the last thing WarGreymon saw as he slid into blackness.  
  
General Sir Thomas Alexander sat down on the concrete bench without looking around at the boy next to him, and only understanding just a little of why he was out here talking to him. He belonged with his troops, but that in itself was a laugh. He was a Brit in Paris, and the only troops he had were his clerical staff, whom he had already sent out with the military evacuation. From what he heard on the radio the French command system was disrupted and heavily hit. There would be no help from them until they got organized, and with the enemy Juggernaught rolling into town in a few hours, they simply did not have time. And now he had the impossible job of advising a handful of children who had never truly been involved in war before how to save ten million lives.  
He said it was the hardest lesson. TK sighed bitterly for a moment and then straightened up.  
What lesson? General Alexander did not make eye contact, watching the beauty of the flowers ahead of him.  
The first lesson of command. TK replied evenly.  
  
Colonel Jeffery Winters, USAF, swore under his breath as the new ultra-sensitive cameras under his forward fuselage caught a glimpse of the latest intruder into their airspace. If he had not known better he would have thought it a giant, jet-powered tortoise with a strange color scheme. But as it was, he knew that it was probably dangerous. Chances were that by the time it was close enough to engage the disruption would cripple his fighter, but he had to try. He turned his F-22A Raptor in an interception course lazily, his wingmen following on his heels. Then his radio crackled.  
US Air Force fighter. US Air Force fighter, can you hear us? Can you hear us? Respond please. The message, sounding like it was being spoken by an adolescent, repeated several times over. Jeffery stared at his radio in amazement before hitting the switch and replying.  
This is Colonel Winters of the United States Air Force. Identify yourself.  
This is that giant black and red monster you can see on one side. We're coming in peacefully. I repeat, we're coming in peacefully. Do not attack.   
Jeffery rolled his eyes. This was clearly fast becoming a B-movie, but he had no idea what he was supposed to do. Then he shrugged. None of the monsters had yet made contact, and whatever this one was, it was speaking in English. Maybe whatever it was would turn out to be friendly. But it had not turned to attack them yet, so he shrugged and hoped that someday, somebody would explain all this to him.  
I copy unidentified object. Do not deviate from your course or you will be fired upon. We have an airfield about fifty miles from here on your current course. Continue there and land immediately. We'll sort all this out on the ground.  
We copy Colonel. We just got back from trying to penetrate into New York, but the bad guys have the place sealed off.  
We already know. Nothing is going in or out for a while. See you on the ground. Colonel Winters shrugged and turned his plane around to follow in their new guests.  
  
What is the first rule? General Alexander asked.  
A friend of mine told me about it. Unconsciously TK changed. He was still speaking the words, but they were Adam's words as well. The first and hardest rule of command is this. No matter how good you are, how well prepared you come, how many advantages you give yourself, men will die executing your orders. There is no way to prevent this, no way to avoid it, and it is the hardest thing for any commander to be forced to accept. People will die because you ordered them to die. That is the price we pay for victory. You must not allow yourself to be paralyzed by this, but you must not grow inured to it either. All you can do is minimize your loss.  
General Alexander nodded.  
How do you stand it? TK let his head fall down, tears welling in his eyes, a low gnawing feeling in his gut. How do you send people out to die?  
I don't. General Alexander admitted wryly, suddenly feeling the need to bare his soul. TK, I've never been in a real battle before. I commanded troops in the Gulf War, but I was part of the units that were not actually engaging the enemy, only holding the line. The only men under my command that actually died were two soldiers who accidentally drove over a land mine in Kosovo. I've never had to stare into hopeless odds before, never had to stand before something of this magnitude.  
I've always wondered if; when push came to shove, if I'd have the courage to stand on the line, to hold it, no matter the cost. It sounds easy enough when you're back in officer's school, to hear the songs of glory from the old regiments. But out here, when you have to put yourself on the line, it's something different.  
I'm terrified. I've never been this desperate before. I looked at the numbers, same as you did. Even if you pull another fifty miracles out of your hat, with the people we have here, with the numbers we have here, we're never going to be able hold Paris, even for half the time we would need to evacuate the surrounding countryside. And only a handful of us are ever leaving this city alive. I was looking into your eyes, and I know that you know this as well as I do. And I'm terrified. I've never done this before either, although I've trained my whole life to do it.  
I always asked if I would have the strength to stand the line. Well, before the end of this battle it looks like I'll finally know.  
TK smiled, and a tear ended up being brushed away, leaving only the faintest hint of a rainbow in his eyes. There's another lesson. The first lesson of life.  
Thomas asked, arcing an eyebrow.  
Yes. No matter how hard the path, how dark the night, there is always hope. It is all we have and all we need. TK smiled confidently and calmly up at Thomas Alexander, and the older man felt his own face crease into a smile. If the army ever got their hands on this boy they would send him, kicking and screaming, off to the Academy, and he would only emerge as a Field Marshal.  
Suddenly the sun was blotted out. TK jerked his head up, just in time to see three digimon soar overhead, a Snimon, a Kuwagamon and a Unimon each carrying a set of passengers, children clutching digimon to them. The familiar faces of Yuri, Anna and Sonja peered down at TK as the digimon began to land, and a dozen more digidestined hit the ground, peering around with a mixture of curiosity and awe. And then, dismounting from Kuwagamon was a much older man, looking more distinguished and wearing a set of camouflage combat clothes. General Alexander swore to himself that the man looked familiar.  
Yuri! Sonja! Anna! You guys made it! TK waved his hat at them.  
Yuri grinned. Takeru, I would like you to meet friend of mine. He waved at the older man.  
The man stepped forward and bowed quickly. I remember you from the Berlin conference General Alexander. And you must be Takeru Takaishi. I've heard much about you from my young friends here. He looked at TK's puzzled expression and grinned. Allow me to introduce myself. I am General Dmitri Sergev of the Russian Federation, commander of the 21st Airborne Guards division. General Alexander immediately remembered the confident, competent general of one of Russia's best new military units. We in Moscow thought that you might be getting lonely, so we brought some company.  
He gestured with one hand. To the east the sky was clear, and there, standing out as if someone had drawn it on the sky with a marker, was a line. A line of Russian transport planes, surrounded by Russian fighter planes and flying digimon, headed for Paris, outlined in the sun.  
There's always Hope. TK whispered reverently.  
  
Review Please  



	20. The Line

Disclaimer: I do not own digimon or its associated products. They are reserved corporate property. This is not a work for profit.  
Glossary: BDU: Battle Dress Uniform, standard military combat dress  
NORAD: North American Aerospace Defence  
  
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Episode XLIV  
The Line

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_Victory belongs to the most persevering._  
**--**Napoleon Bonaparte**--**  
  
_Never give in--never, never, never, never, in nothing great or small, large or petty, never give in except to convictions of honour and good sense. Never yield to force; never yield to the apparently overwhelming might of the enemy._  
**--**Winston Churchill**—  
  
**  
Izzy flipped back over the figures one more time. The interference fields may have managed to jam most on-site reconnaisance, but there was still the possibility of satellite photos, obtained by one very angry Colonel Winters shouting at one of the satellite transmission bases in southern California. Unfortunately with the National Reconaissance Office in Washington DC out of commission, and NORAD at Cheyenne Mountain not responding to any queries, it had taken nearly forever to find the photographs. But they showed an unwelcome truth.  
Hundreds of thousands, millions? Izzy asked rhetorically. How many of them are there?  
We were hoping you could tell us. Winters replied. We're going to need all the information we can get.  
Any word on the European attack? Izzy asked again.  
Not really, not unless you mean bad news. The French have already reported that in their first engagement they lost almost fifty percent of their armed forces that they could call in. Meanwhile we got word that the National Guard and the regular army units from around the US are beginning to assemble, but at best it's going to take us two or three days just to march to New York from the place where our transports start messing up and failing. You can't even use a car within a hundred miles of the city the interference is so bad. Colonel Winters snorted and hammered against the fuselage of his multi-million dollar fighter, sitting uselessly on a runway.  
Something still doesn't add up. If they could crush us this easily, why didn't they attack sooner? Izzy asked himself.  
  
TK walked back into the command room at Versailles and immediately the entire atmosphere of the room changed. He was confident again, radiating his silent skill and ability to the others in the building. Every step he took was a mark of his patience, and it restored heart to those standing around the maps on the table.  
All right people, we have a new plan. TK stood up at the front of the table with Generals Alexander and Sergev behind him, Yuri, Sonja and Anna sneaking in to sit on one side. First, I tell Kari to continue trying to slow them down, but perhaps with less dangerous means. Block the roads, divert irrigation canals, that sort of thing. Next, we have some company. General Sergev has graciously agreed to put his soldiers, the 21st Russian Airborne guards, to see to our needs and assist us in any way possible. So, I want to use our digimon right now mostly as pack animals. Our reports indicate that if you get a car not attached to a digidestined within about two hundred fifty kilometers of that horde, it shuts down. Somehow they are interfering with mechanical devices as well as electrical ones. That means that the only things that we can use out there are bicycles, horses and digimon, and guess who can carry the most gear.  
Now, currently it looks like this. They're skirting Dijon and its immediate surroundings rather carefully, but they are about halfway between Dijon and Bourges, which puts them about here. I want to go out with the Russian units, hopefully to erect mortar batteries all up and down the most rugged hills. With our mobility we can move a firebase before they manage to figure out where it is. It seems that, from what we've heard from America, that basic artillery still works, as long as you don't need the electronics. So, we move around in the hills there, and try and slow them down.  
Next, Cody will begin to train fast running digidestined. We've received almost three hundred IDEF personnel so far since the skirmish, and more are expected at any moment. As long as they are in bad terrain we have the opportunity to hit them without them hitting us, but once they get out on the plains south of Paris, we're going to have to bleed to stop them. So I want to be ready for that, understood?  
Yes sir! Yuri snapped off a salute, grinned at the expression on TK's face, and then leaned over the maps to familiarize himself with them.  
Was it a good plan? TK asked out of the side of his mouth.  
I think it'll work. General Sergev responded with a smile. By the way, if you ever find yourself needing work, the Russian Army is always looking for potential officers of your caliber.  
Hands off! Alexander snapped with mock anger. We saw him first.  
  
Tai jerked awake for the third time, but there was nothing there. Nothing except for the crackle of fire in the pit in front of him. In his mind there was still the sound of burning bodies, of screaming, of gunfire random and undirected, of the constant taste of fear in his mouth and the weight of terror in his stomach. But here it was quiet. Matt and Gabumon, both exhausted, were curled around each other nearby, both looking tattered and worn. Mimi was lying unconscious on the remains of a mattress she had dredged up from somewhere, Palmon by her side. Gomamon was lying on the pair of pillows that Joe had dredged up, but Joe himself was nowhere to be seen. Standing over them was a soldier, dark haired and unshaven, with a bit of blood on his BDU sleeve, but holding his M16 competently in one hand. He, at least, looked awake. There were half a dozen other soldiers in various states of wakefulness around them, and Tai could see another group of sentries surrounding Team Eagle's sleeping place. They were not resting together, preventing them from becoming too much of a target and General Hayes had recognized their usefulness, assigning guards to protect them.  
In their turn the soldiers had almost an awestruck approach toward the boys and girls and their powerful monsters who had held off the enemy for so long. The constant battle prowess of the digimon, coupled with the courage and determination of the children who had accompanied them to war had won the respect of the hard-bitten troopers. They weren't going to let anyone through to harm the children, even if they had to shed their own blood to protect the kids.  
What time is it? Tai asked in his slow, careful English.  
The soldier shrugged, instantly reminding Tai that no watches would be working, and then he glanced at the stars overhead. About eight in the evening I think.  
Tai blinked, suddenly realizing that is was indeed nighttime. His eyes widened involuntarily. You mean that I've been asleep for...  
Most of the day. About ten hours, I think. Pretty common for the front line soldiers. It's been quiet. After their initial push, they decided to wait for a bit. We haven't seen hide nor hair of them all day. The soldier turned back to look in his assigned direction. Tai glanced down at the sleeping Agumon and then levered himself up. He was awake now, no longer tired, but he was ravenously hungry. Quietly, so as not to wake the others, he levered himself up and wandered off toward the smell of food.  
Dinner was a huge savory hash. They had nearly unlimited ingredients, thanks in part to the field kitchens scrounging from every store they could find. The cooks had managed to combine everything into an edible mess that actually tasted quite good. Tai walked up to the counter, grabbed a metal tray like some of the other soldiers, and walked through, receiving a generous dollop on his plate. He received some odd looks too, but apparently enough kids had been through that the cooks were not asking questions anymore, indeed if they ever had been.  
Hey Tai, over here! Tai caught a glimpse of a familiar blue-haired boy in the crowd and went over and sat down next to Joe, who was halfway through his plate already.  
Where've you been? Tai asked Joe, beginning to shovel his own food into his mouth.  
Oh, here and there. Joe confessed with a smile. How about you? Gone anyplace interesting?  
I just woke up. How do you handle this? Tai yawned again.  
Joe shrugged. Remember, I volunteer in the hospital. If there's been an accident on the bridges or a big fire or anything like that they drag in everyone they can get. I've been helping the field surgeons set up and get to work on the wounded for an hour or two now. Huh, funny really. It's what I do best, but it looks like fighting is my job.  
How bad is it? Tai asked.  
Well, it's better than it could be. Since the evacuation we've had a handful of hospitals that we're using for the big equipment, but we need electricity to actually do our job. We've found a way of rigging up storage batteries that seems to work, but it's taking too much time. Mostly we're just cutting people apart and hoping that we can put them back together again.  
Tai blanched at that.  
Well, it's going to get worse. We keep going like this; we're going to run out of painkiller before the day is over. Joe reported grimly.  
Hey guys. Willis sat wearily next to them, drooping.  
You need some sleep. Joe pointed out critically.  
I just had a five hour nap. Willis shook his head. I wanted to get some food in me before I go back to drowsing under the shade of some bushes somewhere. I would kill for a hot shower right now.  
So, what's the news? Joe asked, sawing a chunk of potato in half.  
Well, every hour they delay helps us. We've got the remainder of the National Guard still on the other side of the river coming over to lend us a hand. We've got the volunteers from the NYPD forming up to provide us with some backup. We've even got some artillery support, and of course resting aids our digimon. The problem is, of course, that even rested, we're still outnumbered and outgunned by a lot. So the new plan is going to be tough.  
What's the new plan? Tai asked cautiously.  
Willis paused for a moment. America is very unique Tai. It doesn't have ancient capitals and places of historical import. All it has is modern compared to the cities of Europe and Japan. The symbol of America has always been New York city, the skyline, the lights, the Statue of Liberty, all of that. It's been a battered symbol at times, but it still lies at the heart of this country. Hayes knows that the army is gathering outside of the interference barrier, that any further attacks will be met in force, and that the loss of New York will not effect their plans. So he's decided to hold. From now on we hold every inch of ground, and we make them bleed for every yard they try to take. If the situation becomes critical, he ordered the digidestined to run for it, but he and his men are going to stand and die with this city.  
Is that wise? Tai asked, ignoring Joe's gaping open mouth.  
I don't know. But I know that it's right. Willis replied calmly, too calmly, and with a shaking hand. We have to stand somewhere.  
Then we stand here. We've drawn a line on the earth, and now we're going to hold it. Tai stated firmly, and grinned.  
  
Ken hung onto ImperialDramon with his knees as the massive Mega executed a sharp right hand turn. They had almost finished the first part, even without Izzy. Every team from the Western Hemisphere was on its way to the new rendezvous point just outside of the New York area, with Izzy and the others. Then they would start moving every Eastern digidestined to support Paris, where TK had tersely reported contact with the enemy. Ken just huddled down and prayed for more speed.  
  
Fire mission! General Alexander called. He was feeling great for the first time in a long time. He had not led a field mission since he was a Lieutenant, and here he was, shirt sleeves rolled up, down in the dirt of the French countryside with a bunch of kids, watching the biggest, ugliest army since the Third Reich roll over the ground, and talking into a fluorescent plastic device held by a girl who did not even speak his language. He had not had so much fun in years.  
The Russian company commander sounded likewise thrilled on the other end. He was finally getting to shoot something with those big telephone poles that he carried around all the time. The firing computers were out, of course, and half the delicate mechanics did not work, but the Russians were good troops. Six pages of scratch paper, three slide rules, a protractor, a box of wrenches, a compass, and five sets of topographical maps later they had manually, through a great deal of yanking, grabbing and manhandling, managed to point their guns in the right direction.  
From behind came the unmistakable thunder of heavy artillery speaking out. The mechanics on the guns might not work right anymore, but gunpowder appeared to be just as explosive, and, with a roar that was distant enough to sound like thunder, the entire reserve artillery brigade fired as one. There were a few moments of quiet, and some confusion down below as the digimon milled around uncertainly after hearing the first noise, and then there was a whine, and the sound of all hell breaking loose.  
What had been a real surprise was that General Sergev had managed to cram a hundred extra 152mm artillery pieces into those planes, along with enough ammunition to keep them going for a long time. Now the first hundred shells from the reserve battery came screaming in overhead. The valley erupted, as if a hundred different volcanoes had decided to erupt at the same time. Despite all the effort that the Russians had put into it, they were shooting a little high, but the enemy was so spread out that they covered near the entire valley and the explosions impacted on the south side, sending digimon flying, injured or disappearing in showers of data. Mass confusion broke out in the ranks as the first salvo slammed home, the noise frightening the digimon as much as the power.  
Drop fifty meters and fire again. Alexander spoke into the D3 held in front of him.  
Several kilometers away his voice emerged from TK's D3, and the Russian captain turned and yelled at his crew in Russian. Immediately men sprang into action, branidishing wrenches, prybars and hammers among other tools. It took thirty seconds to drop the barrels another notch or so as the gears inside were turned manually. Then another salvo roared out, loud even through TK's ear protection.  
Even though most of the opposing forces had not even seen each other, the third battle of Versailles had begun.  
  
The first attack kicked off about midnight. The first indication for the digidestined was the sudden ripple of gunfire from the front lines, and the glowing light of flares thrown up into the air. A moment later came the screams.  
Team Eagle was closer and faster this time. Frigimon and Steve reached the lines first and began striking out at whatever was coming over as fast as they could. Tortomon's Strong Carapace rained destruction down on what was on the other side. By the time Willis and the others arrived, there was a distinct lack of targets. The gunfire died out, just as the reserve company moved into position. Suddenly, an awful and portentous calm fell over the front line, people looking at each other nervously in the disappearance of noise from the battle.  
What the hell? Willis murmured as the light from the flares revealed a dozen rookie digimon retreating into the darkness.  
Then the screams began elsewhere.  
  
Is it going to mean anything Izzy? Lanis asked. Michael's cousin was drooping, the long flight apparently not having agreed with her. The older woman had just arrived, her Gulfstream-V winging in carrying the LA Thunderbirds and all their supporting teams, but she looked tired, and the steady weight of despair had begun to crush down on the digidestined assembled there. Even as Ken began to drop off some of the last IDEF drops, the situation had not brightened one bit. There were now close to four thousand digidestined sitting around the airport runways, their digimon and them frantically engaged in games or last minute preparations. Out of one corner of their eyes they all took peeks in the direction of New York, but nothing there ever changed.  
I'm missing something. Izzy muttered.  
What was that? Mina, still wearing the traditional garb of India from when Izzy had met her the first time, came up from behind, Meramon stalking patiently behind her.  
Something's missing. Look at this. Even at our best we have only five thousand or so digidestined here, and maybe two hundred already in New York. With the reserves that we've had to shuffle off to Paris already, it's not that much. How many digimon do they have in there? Millions? There's nothing that we can do about it.  
What's your point? Colonel Winters asked, coming up from behind. They outnumber us by too high a margin. Even if we hold New York for a day or two, they'll overwhelm us. And then they're going to sweep across the Eastern Seaboard. We'll do our best to stop them, but our army depends too much on technology. Without it we're really no match for them.  
So why now? Izzy asked.  
What do you mean? Ramon of the LA Thunderbirds wrinkled his brow in frustration. What do you mean now?  
I mean that we were there when Khartan came to this world. Why did it take him weeks to mount this attack? It seems obvious that his digimon can move freely through the uninhabited portions of the world. Yet he spent weeks trying to discredit digimon completely, drive the digidestined underground. He wasted time trying to lure us out and destroy us. So, I was wondering, why?  
Maybe he just hates us. Mina responded.  
I don't think that's it. He's not as stupid as some digimon we've fought. But we simply don't have the numbers to fight him. So why did he spend so much time trying to fight us? Izzy stared at the floor. Something that Gennai had said was bothering him. Something about how the digidestined could be the key to victory. And then it clicked.  
The _digidestined_. Not the digimon, the digidestined.  
The idea started out as a small suspicion, but suddenly it expanded like an explosion. Every neuron in his brain must have fired at once, lines of thought racing in a dozen different directions, but all converging to one simple, inescapable truth. The world was awash with the sea of his thoughts, but there was a big island in the middle of everything, and that island was where the salvation of Earth rested. The simplicity of the idea, and the fact that he had no idea how it worked astonished him. If this was true, well...it would change everything.  
Quick, I have an idea. Izzy turned around to stare urgently at the others.  
  
Kari nearly jumped out of her skin as she turned the corner leading to the isolated farm road. There, standing in front of her, barely visible here, but definitely there nonetheless, was a ghost. Translucent clothes shimmered in the pale light, barely illuminating what was left of the man who used to inhabit them. Dark hair, more alive than it had been in life, spilled down his back, and his gentle smile seemed to illuminate the world a bit more than his transparent body.  
Kari acknowledged, bowing her head.  
I bring a message. Oikawa sounded like he was talking from very far away, much too far away to be real, a voice in the wilderness, barely heard. Something stirs in the Dark Ocean. Something large. The Monarch is unsettled. He is preparing something.  
I know. Kari responded shortly. He's beginning to try and haunt my dreams. I can feel him and his minions watching me. It's beginning to annoy me. She tried to use flippancy to cover the sudden flip her heart and stomach had just experienced, as if somebody had flipped the direction of gravity.  
He wishes your power. Light has great attraction to the ruler of a plane of darkness. Oikawa shrugged. Still, I know not what he intends to do with it. I wish I knew more of his intent, but that is all I can tell you.  
So, basically all you know is that he's up to something, and it involves me. Kari responded, a little put out at the vague warning.  
Oikawa shook his head before fading into nothingness. He's up to something and this time it involves everybody.  
  
They're probing us. Hayes concluded grimly, staring at the map in front of him. And that means that pretty soon they're going to find out how weak we are.  
I agree. Michael was staring at the map grimly, but even he could find nothing more to say. That doesn't mean that we can't do something about it.  
Unfortunately it does. I refuse to retreat more. I'm tired of going backwards anyway. But that means that we need the advantage traditionally conferred to entrenched defenses. And that means that we need to surrender the initiative. As long as I'm dug in all the way across Manhattan, I think it would be fair to say that they have the advantage of initiative, and they can hit us wherever they want. And I don't like it one bit. Hayes chewed thoughtfully on the end of his pointer for a full minute of silence before he realized that he was doing it.  
So what do we do? Michael asked.  
The Line is holding. We do nothing. Hayes responded. He wondered which one of his men had coined the term The Line to describe the thin layers of defenses that still held the southern part of Manhattan, but it was obvious, and it was going to stick. Hayes was determined about that. Whoever would walk out of that battle would only remember the greatest land battle in recent history. And, even if God himself came out of the clouds against him, he was not going to surrender New York without a damn good fight.  
Well, we're going to rest up then. Michael reported, shifting through his reports. We'll probably need it later.  
Hayes agreed a second before the real attack came.  
  
What did he see? Alexander asked Daniel, scratching his head.  
He claims he saw a long line of men with bicycles heading this way. Daniel reported, shrugging. Kyle's a reliable lad, so I don't think that he was lying, but I don't have the faintest idea what he's talking about. The steady jolt of Deltamon thudding along made it hard to talk, but General Alexander was still confused about what was going on. TK had ordered the front units to temporarily withdraw after they had managed to slow down the enemy advance yet again, and they were getting out of tight quarters. But nobody was ready to deal with a column of men on bicycles.  
Well, if they're around that hill, we better set down here. We don't want to alarm them into shooting at us. General Alexander shook his head and stepped around the outcropping of rock that Deltamon and Daniel dropped down behind and squinted. Sure enough, there it was, a line of bicycles stretching off into the horizon, riding about five abreast down an empty asphalt highway. The sparkle of the sun off the bare metal components glimmered at them, revealing their presence, but the nearest bicycles were almost near enough to yell at. General Alexander stepped closer to the road, but then caught himself for a moment, peering at the men on the bicycles. Many of them were wearing the same uniform, and that uniform looked disturbingly familiar. He stared for a moment, and then waved down the front man.  
Six bicycles, each carrying an armed soldier skidded to a halt around him, but General Alexander ignored them, concentrating instead on a single man wearing a Colonel's insignia on his uniform. He was right, those uniforms were unmistakable.  
Colonel Galvanay, what a surprise seeing you here. Where the hell have you been? Alexander felt his mouth quirk in a smile.  
Here and there. The dour Frenchman returned, mustache quivering. Enjoying a nice ride in the country. We were coming here you damn English bastard. Where did you think we were?  
Well, what took so long? Alexander put his hands on his hips.  
It isn't easy to cross France on a bicycle. Galvanay rolled his eyes. I was warned that you would be around. It's a sad day when the safety of France depends on a man so pathetic that he thinks Britain is a real country.  
It's good to see you too Jacques. Alexander held out his hand.  
And you Thomas. Those... Galvanay gave out a few words that nobody else in their right mind would translate. back at General Headquarters could not find their rear with both hands. And a map. At least you know which way the enemy is.  
So what's your situation?  
The French Foreign Legion, what's left of it, is reporting for duty. We are at half strength right now, the other half is deployed in Africa. We lost our command staff as well to an early air strike. Right now we're it. We grabbed every bicycle we could find and have been pedaling north ever since the cars died. We would have made it to Paris, but we were intercepted, and once we learned the situation we thought it better to get down here and see what you were up to.  
Who gave you the update? Alexander asked curiously.  
That would be us General. A man in a different uniform stepped forward, and this one Alexander recognized immediately. He had not expected to see a fellow Brit on the continent, not with the chaos currently dominating his own government. Colonel MacLeod, Royal Marines reporting for duty.  
When did you get here? Alexander frowned at the tall man in the Marine BDU.  
'bout four hours ago, after you left on your little joyride. You won't believe how many bicycles we've had to commandeer.  
I'll believe it all right, probably when we get the bill. Okay, how much do you have?  
Five hundred marines rested and ready to go. We flipped a coin, and we won, so we got to come look for you. 22nd SAS is back in Paris, digging in to support the arrival of heavier units.  
So what got you moving? Alexander asked.  
We got an order from the Prime Minister to go out and save some Gallic butt, so we shagged ass onto the first transport we could find, and here we are. MacLeod gave the glowering Galvanay a triumphant glare.  
Bah. British Barbarians! Galvanay waved off the comment.  
Well, you think this is weird, wait until you meet the kids with the digimon. General Alexander grinned at them.  
I heard about them. MacLeod confessed. Are they any good?  
Well, considering that they're all we've got that can fight the enemy on equal terms, they'll have to do. And they do a pretty damn good job. We're withdrawing ahead of the enemy advance, but I can take you to meet the commander now.  
  
The attack hit everywhere at once. For those who were sitting on the front line, enjoying the proverbial calm before the storm, it looked like the very Earth had risen in arms against them. One private from Maine who survived long enough to report screamed that it looked like a tidal wave, a tidal wave of black water that rose from the depths to swallow the world. It came on, an unstoppable juggernaught of dark forms and angry voices, rising to a tidal wave so loud that soldiers recoiled from the noise on instinct. It was early morning so there was some light from the east, where the sun would rise in a few hours, but that faint light somehow made the creatures coming at them even more horrible, a mixture of horns, teeth and claws reaching out from the unknown.  
They're coming over us! Willis had time to yell before the battle reached him. Team Eagle rallied marvelously, and the trained digidestined and their digimon threw themselves into a line to support the soldiers at the front with thunderous bursts of fire from their weapons. But they were suddenly a small island amidst the chaos.  
The Australian Avengers were closer to the coast, and they were forced back to the ocean, but they held on. Together with a handful of other digidestined from other areas of the line they managed to hold together and soldiers rallied around them, hard-bitten sergeants forcing their charges into somewhat of an orderly line.  
In the center the carnage was fiercer. Tai was directing the digidestined he could reach from the front, darting out to grab retreating bodies, turn them around and throw them back in the line. There was no finesse, and there was no time for it. Everyone was suddenly struggling for their lives, grappling hand to hand with the tide that overwhelmed them. Rifle fire crackled and burned digimon down, but they were not fast enough to stop the tide. Occasionally land mines exploded under the feet of the approaching digimon, sending bodies twisting and turning in the air, but they were only raindrops in the bed of a dry ocean. Mimi was heading for the rear, leaving Lilymon unencumbered to fight the enemy, hauling an injured soldier along with Joe, who was working with the field medics as best as he could. Matt was somewhere aloft, Tai could hear the steady whoosh of missiles flying overhead.  
Above Amy and Airdramon soared, dived and screamed with the rest of her airborne digimon and digidestined as the enemy fliers closed in. She appeared on occasion, a single light above the ground, arcing through the darkness. Golden fire marked the titanic battle in the skies. They could not help those on the ground, but they kept the massive rising cloud of dark digimon in the sky from besieging those on Earth.  
Terriermon...golden armor digivolve to...Rapidmon!  
Betamon...golden armor digivolve to...MegaSeadramon!  
Two new digimon crashed through the world, fire rippling from them. MegaSeadramon, with Micheal on his back, rained down thunder on the approaching hordes. Rapidmon soared aloft, and a moment later his Tri-Beam blasted a hole through the enemy lines in a blaze of green light. Below Tai could catch a glimpse of Willis enshrined in golden light, and then his view was obscured by a Bakemon, which he hit over the head with the baseball bat he had been carrying. Ahead he could hear the rhythmic pounding breathing and tearing claws of WarGreymon in a really bad mood, tearing holes through the enemy ranks before they could sink their own claws into human flesh. Most of the digimon in the front ranks were rookies and champions, so WarGreymon could tear through them with ease. He was helped by the sudden resurgence of the thin line of humans as the meager mobile reserves were committed.  
Flashes of fire blazed in front of Tai again, and this time, above the din of battle he could hear the steady cough of mortars as they pumped their shells into the onrushing enemy. He could hear the bang of grenades exploding in the horde, the screams of the dying and the injured, the tearing of flesh. He could see the dark horde continuing into infinity, and he felt himself swallowed by their numbers.  
Matt grabbed one shoulder, and when Tai turned around, his eyes were serious and confident. It's time!  
Tai nodded once and held out a hand to WarGreymon. It was time to use their last trick, the only ace they had up their sleeve. Golden and silver light surrounded them, temporarily blinding soldier and digimon alike. Most looked on with incomprehension, but a few understood what was happening and stood back in expectation.  
WarGreymon and MetalGarurumon...Mega DNA Digivolve to...  
The light blasted through the world, and suddenly faded, revealing the newly come armored figure to the hordes waiting. Even then, in the moment of heady triumph, Tai felt his heart sink through the soles of his shoes. The forces facing him were huge, he could see them now in the light, and they stretched on forever. Behind him there was only a thin line of humans holding the ground. But they looked on, NYPD, National Guard, regular Army, looked up to him and the digimon he had brought with him to save the world. Matt looked at Tai in the eyes and grinned confidently.  
  
And, facing impossible odds, against an enemy that could not be stopped, the shining white knight of legend stepped out to give battle.  
  
Phil dug himself out of the ground with FlareLizamon's help. A lucky barrage of mortar fire had just dropped half a building on the advancing horde, but it would not hold for very long, and Phil knew it. At the same time Lou was emerging from beneath Tortomon, shaking his head to clear it, and staggering to his feet with the aid of the few soldiers still holding with them, those few left alive. Phil helped as well, pulling a bleeding NYPD officer to his feet, and the burly man grinned at him, flipped his hat brim up a little and, dropping his shattered rifle, pulled his regulation handgun out of its holster and pointed it toward the enemy.  
How we doing? Lou managed to gasp.  
Almost out of ammo. A soldier reported calmly, bandaging his own arm with a handful of clean gauze, ignoring the general filth everywhere. But other than that, just fine.  
Suddenly, Phil grinned. He did not know why. He did not even know how he could still grin at all, so battered was his spirit. He did not know if they would survive this day. He did not know if his friends, if the rest of Team Eagle, was still alive, or where they were, or whether or not they would get out. He was so scared that, if he was not already bone dry, he would have wet his pants, but it did not matter anymore. Suddenly it seemed as if this was a good enough place to die, whether or not it would matter. New York was his city, and he would be three times damned if he was giving it up to a bunch of black covered bugs. All that mattered is that he would be doing something worth doing when his number came up.  
  
Joe Kido worked hurriedly to bandage the soldier in front of him, hampered by the fact that the soldier was unwilling to surrender, still firing his rifle with one arm while Joe tried to brace the other. Ahead there was nothing but chaos and light and destruction, the occasional noise of Zudomon blasting his enemies, but nothing meaningful. All of Joe's attention was focused on the wound beneath his fingers, one of countless such injuries he had dressed today. He was shocked when a hand touched his shoulder.  
C'mon son. The man in dusty and dirty BDUs standing above him looked down on him with a kind face. Ain't nothing more you gonna do here. We've got to retreat. They're coming over us like we weren't even here.  
But I'm... Joe gestured helplessly and stubbornly to the man lying beneath him.  
The standing soldier changed the look on his face. Stewart, can you walk?  
No sarge. Private Stewart, a young man from Houston, Texas, engaged to his high school girlfriend, shook his head, strangely still smiling. He gestured his arm, and Joe saw what his concentration had allowed him to miss, a leg trapped under a heavy piece of rubble. But I can still fight, sarge.  
There was a moment of perfect silence, upon which even the clamor of the battleground refused to interrupt. Then the sergeant, possibly with a wet eye, saluted with one hand. No matter what I said in drill, you're a damn fine soldier Stewart, probably a better one than me. God bless you.  
Thanks sarge. It was fun. I'll give them something to remember us by. Stewart hefted the rifle once and grinned. See ya around boys.  
The sergeant saluted once, with meticulous precision as if he was standing on the drill field instead of the battlefield, and then was off running, tugging a reluctant Joe behind him.  
Joe's eyes started to tear up when he heard a new eruption of gunfire behind him. He started to cry when he heard it stop.  
  
Mimi was carrying bottled water from the nearest broken storefront. She ran, from gun position to gun position, thrusting the containers of water into the hands of the wounded, the injured, and the dying, into the hands of the living, the men and women who manned the guns. In a fight like this she would only serve to slow Lilymon down, and here she was more use than anywhere else.  
Her innocence fell down, a thing of the past, and the dead and dying filled her world.  
  
Omnimon staggered, nearly unseating Matt and Tai. Blood and data flew off of him like a storm as he regained his footing. He was able to crush anyone coming against him, but that was no longer the problem. He was outnumbered now, and those numbers were what was threatening to crush him. He was stronger than an elephant, but he was being stung to death by fleas. Already the landscape was littered with the wrecks of those unlucky enough to be caught in the blast of his Supreme Cannon, but he was a digimon of power and precision, not sheer numbers. He was also about to be overwhelmed. He had fought for what seemed like hours, and now he felt like he was about to drop.  
But he was a warrior, and he still believed. And while he believed in Hope, there was still a chance.  
  
We don't have enough of anything left to hold them off with. General Hayes reported to Michael quietly. Michael had fallen back when his portion of the line had fallen to the enemy onrush. He was now standing next to General Hayes in a sudden quiet. Still, we cannot disengage. We cannot withdraw. Therefore, I have no other option. The division will attack.  
From behind, as if reinforcing his words, there came the swirl of flutes, and a row of men marched out of the dust and grit of battle, barely visible in the light. It was morning almost, the night having crept through in darkness and hell and terror. The faint rays touched off the color of the buildings, mostly shattered and fallen, broken in pieces like some giant had smashed them flat with his fist. Michael recognized the people coming up the center of the line. They were fire department volunteers, men and women who had volunteered personally to stay behind and safeguard their city, and each of them was carrying something. It took Michael a moment to realize what they were, and then he saw, poles, PVC pipes, fenceposts, and hanging off each a flag.  
We raided the UN building. General Hayes confessed. Each country who sent a child to help us has their flag here, every one. Maybe it says something about this day that I never could. He walked beside the man who was carrying the United States flag. Back at West Point they taught us that no US army has seriously marched into battle under the US flag with pipes swirling since the days of the Civil War. I mean to change that today.  
His voice rose until it was almost a roar, and every soldier in the region perked up. Present Arms!  
Several hundred rifles rose into the air at precise angles with parade ground precision from everyone in hearing range.  
The division will fix bayonets! It was an unheard of battle command, but ammunition was low, and time was drawing short. The time these men would spend on the earth was drawing to a close, and the bayonets came out and slammed their way onto the end of the rifles just as if this was rifle drill back at boot camp. If they were going to die they were damned if they were going to let death come to them. They were going to meet death, and they were going to meet him in style.  
Form up! That command also was unknown. A thousand men, soldiers, police officers, and digidestined formed into a ragged line. They may have been uneven and unkempt, but their pride and determination shown through.  
The division will advance at a walk! The first clash of boots against the ground was nearly deafening. Slowly, the colors hanging over them, 16th Mechanized Infantry division, United States Army, and associated units, began to advance. In front of them dark shapes loomed, and then, appearing suddenly in the light, glowing red eyes.  
The division will charge! Hayes howled, and the division sprang forward, screaming their lungs out, rifles lowering, the last few bullets speeding out, and then there was only the exhilaration of the rush, and death.  
At that moment the sun rose, behind a cloud of huge, flying digimon, patrolling the skies, raining down death on the exposed below. The sun rose of its accord, some act of nature or a higher power giving the rushing soldiers below a last salute, a recognition of their final act of bravery, illuminating digimon, both good and bad, in a glow of golden light. And as the sun lit like nature's own fireworks, illuminating the sky, there was a sound of thunder as if the fireworks had indeed gone off, a final salute.  
And a hundred and fifty Advanced Medium Range Air to Air Missiles exploded overhead in a shower of fire.  
  
Colonel Jeffery Winters, impromptu commander of the newly formed 1st Home Guard Air Wing gave out a howl of triumph. _The bastards hadn't even been looking_, and the first three squadrons, the F-22A Raptors, had unleashed a double salvo of AMRAAMs from each aircraft before they had even knew they were there. And, as promised, the missiles had dove home. _And now, it's payback time_.  
There were not many of them, but they were going fast, faster than any of the digimon floating in the air. There was a rush as the heat seeking AIM-9 Sidewinders cut loose at close range, clawing after any heat source large enough, any digimon with a large enough signature to attract attention, and then digimon were blotted from the sky as warhead unleashed deadly clouds of shrapnel into their kill zone. A second later the fighters were inside the globe of enemy, 20mm nose cannons blurring as they unleashed hundreds of bullets on their enemies. Digimon screamed as those bullets, meant to destroy armored hostile aircraft, tore their way home. Corpses, shattered or shedding data, fell twisted from the sky.  
Raptor Lead, this is Eagle Lead. Fox Three on the ugly guys. The next squadrons in were all that was left of the vaunted F-15C squadrons, but they were pissed as hell over the loss of their comrades, and they now had the armament to let out their frustrations. Another double salvo of AMRAAMs cut in, and more digimon hurled from the sky, as if they were rag dolls with their stuffing torn out. Behind them other fighter squadrons, F-16s, F-18s and F-14s from wherever they had managed to escape from, began to tear their way into the battle zone.  
Raptor Lead, this is Imperial Base. Heads up, we're coming in. Beta Wing, ride herd on the wagons! Alpha Wing, take out that formation at three o'clock high. Gamma, Delta, break and attack! Winters smiled an ugly smile, and tore his fighter up, and the horde floating there, disorganized, demoralized, stung by these little killer minnows, looked up with confused eyes and saw, for the first time, an enemy they recognized.  
Mega Crusher! ImperialDramon flamed, and a brilliant ball of white energy blasted out of his open jaws. Behind that awful display of power two groups of a hundred flying digimon broke their careful formation and dove to the attack, screaming their own battle cries, the eyes of the digidestined on their backs cold and tense. Moments later the sky was a mass of continuing explosions as dogfights twisted all over the sky. Bodies screamed through the air, screaming battle cries that were a mixture of exhilaration and pure terror as newbies and veterans mixed it up in the largest air battle ever fought in the United States. Behind them, the threads of destiny were shifting, and in the distance, the sun was starting to rise above the chaos of battle. So did Winter's voice.  
Wagon Train, this is Raptor Lead. The coast is as clear as it's going to get. So get moving!  
  
What the hell is that? A lieutenant looked up at the sky even as he skewered a Bakemon on the edge of his bayonet. That sound suddenly deafened even them, and the fireworks overhead indicated that something interesting was definitely happening up there. The digimon they were charging suddenly showed some signs of consternation, suddenly turned around and retreated, leaving only the blackness behind. Soldiers widened their eyes in surprise as their enemies suddenly blurred and disappeared backwards, as if running away. A moment ago they had been fighting for their lives, but now they were alone, listening to the battle overhead, and a sudden roar that broke through even the sounds of combat.  
And then the sky filled again with something new. Hundreds of helicopters, mostly military in drab gray and green paint, but some police choppers, and some still bearing the logos of the news stations they had been appropriated from, hove into view. They paused, a difficult thing for any formation of helicopters moving as tightly as this one, depending on the surprise of their sudden appearance to keep them safe. From each helicopter a rope or a rope ladder descended downward, and suddenly the world was filled with people sliding down. Soldiers wearing both army and marine insignia, carrying their own rifles and packs on their backs, or packs of equipment. Heavy weapons troopers with their massive rocket launchers and mortars. Medics with their kits and sappers with their explosives slid down as well, accompanied by anyone else who could carry a rifle and fit in the first wave of helicopters. And with them came hundreds of children and teenagers, each one carrying a digimon in their arms, hitting the ground and running forward, digimon transforming as they did. In a moment there was a solid wave of men, equipment and digimon hitting the ground, and Hayes watched all of it with an open mouth, and the expression of a kid watching the pile of loot under the tree on Christmas morning.  
Michael looked up dully, his mind blunted by the experiences, only to find himself looking into Yolei's smiling face.  
Sorry we're late Michael. She apologized.  
We held the line. Hayes whispered, and the cheering began.  



	21. Forward the Standard

Disclaimer: I don't own digimon.  
  
**

Episode XLV  
Forward the Standard  


**  
_Hard pressed on my right. My center is yielding. Impossible to maneuver. Situation excellent. I am attacking._   
**--Ferdinand Foch--** at the Battle of the Marne(probably apocraphyl)  
  
General Alexander called, and suddenly he could see the boy with the familiar hat turn around and look in his direction. They were sitting in an abandoned farmhouse, fortunately still blessed with electricity of a sort, and TK was pouring over the latest reports that his scouts had brought. General Sergev was swearing in Russian over the phone at his soldiers still back in Paris. Apparently they too were having problems with the French General Staff. We got some more help!  
TK replied shortly, setting another pair of maps down on the table. We've got some news as well. Despite what we've managed to do to them, they've started to move out, and in force.  
I see. General Alexander stared at the sudden change on the map below. From what it looked like the horde was still advancing, but their faster units were moving out in front of them, sweeping the way. That would be a problem, because their fast units were probably still fresh. How fast are they moving?  
Since they are freshly rested, and not encumbered by heavy equipment, and because they are being driven by a fate worse than death, well...I would say that they're going about twice our average speed.  
New plan? Alexander asked.  
I'm going to have to withdraw. Those units that are out there are horribly outnumbered. They can't hold off firepower of that magnitude. TK sucked thoughtfully on his pencil, and then turned to Cody, speaking in Japanese. The younger child bowed his head, and then quickly turned and walked off, disappearing from the kitchen that TK was using as his command center.  
What's up? Sergev had finally finished his phone conversation and had turned back to the table just in time to witness that last burst of conversation.  
I don't know. If I was them I would try and draw us off to one direction, and hit us from another. The problem is that those fast units are about to draw our scouts off the plains completely. I just asked Cody to send scouting parties down the Rhine area and out to the west to see if we're being flanked, but there's not much else I can do.  
So what are your plans? General Alexander asked.  
Apparently my invisible adversary intends to draw me into an open maneuver party. Logically, I intend to refuse his invitation. I dance badly enough as it is, without having to do it in open country. I think the best thing to do is to withdraw back to the area around Paris. There's enough urban growth around to slow them down before they hit the center of the city at least. I think that's where we draw the line.  
All right. General Alexander reached over and, taking a black pen out of his pocket, drew a line along the southern border of Paris. Then that's where we stand.  
  
Kari hung grimly on to Angewomon, taking no joy in the wind rushing through her hair. Angewomon herself remained as silent and enigmatic as ever. It would have taken a person well versed in her ways to realize that this was a grim silence, as opposed to her usual taciturn nature. Beside her she was being paced by Daniel Ollivander, Deltamon thundering along in the rush back to the city, the rest of the European Legion-London stretched out behind her, with half of IDEF Paris in their wake. Every one of the great land beasts was hauling what looked like a platoon of Russian airborne infantry on their backs.  
Hi Sora! Kari called to one side as Garudamon swept down, carrying what looked like an entire company on her broad back. Did we get everybody?  
Sure did. There's nothing between them and Paris but a bunch of empty fields and abandoned towns. We checked twice. Sora called back from Garudamon's hand.   
Good. I'd hate to leave someone behind for them to attack. Kari replied.  
We never had to worry about this in the old days. Sora yelled over the passing wind. It takes a lot of work to run this army.  
I know. But it's better than doing it alone, isn't it? Kari asked.  
  
All right, let's try this again. Cody knew that his Citadel-made sword was probably not intended for this purpose, but he was using it anyway. He moved the tip over so that it pointed at a picture.  
The crowd of kids and digimon chanted back. The sword tip moved.  
Monochromon. Meramon. Seadramon. Woodmon. RedVeggiemon. Divermon. Vilemon. Triceramon. Dokugamon. Mammothmon. The crowd chanted.  
Good. And you already know what they can do, right?  
The crowd chorused back confidently.  
Good. So what happens when digimon fight?  
We get out of the way. All the kids called back, and broke into chuckles and giggles that Cody's translator did not bother to translate.  
Right. You guys can do it, because you're digidestined, and you never give up. Cody tried to forget about the maelstrom that they would shortly be facing.  
  
Tai! You're killing me! Izzy howled just as soon as Tai found him and wrapped him in a giant bear hug.  
Tell me how you figured this one out. Matt pointed at the sky, where the remainder of the airborne horde was falling back under the constant assaults of the remnant of the US Air Force.  
It was really quite simple. You see, even with all the digidestined on Earth gathered together there was no way for us to defeat Khartan by ourselves, so I reasoned that there was another reason that we were important. It turns out that we can incorporate our digivices to interface with electronic comptuers. Once hooked into a digivice, somehow the digivice creates an equal and opposite field that allows those devices to work. Izzy brushed himself off as Tai let go. Once I was able to surmise how that happened, it was really quite simple.  
For a genius maybe. Tai grinned affectionately at Izzy. So what did you bring us to play with?  
Elements of two US Army divisions and a US Marine division. Anyone else we could get our hands on. And over a thousand digidestined. Izzy grinned infectiously.  
So, now what? Mimi asked, coming up behind them, tired but grinning.  
Are you kidding me? Yolei yelled enthusiastically. We attack!  
As if to punctuate her words there was a thunderous cacaphony of explosions directly to their north. Tai turned around and grinned at the sight of Team Eagle's airborne digimon launching strike after strike at the earth. C'mon Agumon! We don't want to miss all the fun!  
Some people never change. Izzy complained as Tai dashed off.  
We're all used to it Izzy. Tentomon replied. So, shall we be going?  
  
The gardens at Versailles were packed. Hundreds of soldiers, Russian, French, British and newly arrived Germans stood there, milling around, picking up the latest rumors. Hundreds of digidestined from a dozen countries stood there as well, some of them not even speaking languages that anybody else in the gardens knew. In that compact space worries and rumors were amplified as they waited for solid information. And then the doors to the palace opened and the command staff walked out, Generals Alexander and Sergev, Colonels MacLeod and Galvanay, and in the middle Takeru Takaishi and Hikari Kamiya, the looming form of Angemon standing impressively behind them.  
Ladies and gentleman. TK began. We have a plan.  
It is not a plan that is guaranteed to bring you success, or a plan that can miraculously save Paris. Plans like that do not exist. But we have a plan. It may not save us, but it will save Paris, and all those thousands of people who still have not been evacuated. It will cripple the dark army marching against it. And this plan is our only option.  
Understand this, we will not retreat. I will not permit the darkness to roll forward another inch, not while life remains in my body. I will not allow thousands of civilians to die under their claws. Our only chance here is victory. And that is something that we can all do if we work together. We will hit the enemy as they reach Paris. We will attack whenever they give us an opportunity, and we will throw them back when they attack us. It's likely to be chaotic, so I trust each and every one of you to do your best. But remember this, we're the only ones who can save the world here, so we hold the line. Remember that. We Hold The Line!  
It was not a great speech, but something about the way the boy with the blond hair and the rumpled hat stood made an impression on the audience he was speaking to. There was a muffled roar from the audience, and TK could see the children, from a dozen countries, from a hundred ways of life, began to form up behind his idea. Most of them had never faced battle before, but they were prepared to do it now, because he had asked them too. Some of the older soldiers were nodding, but it looked like others were having their doubts.  
In other words, March or Die. General Alexander stated firmly.  
The French soldiers all perked up as a British General recited the common motto of the French Foreign Legion. Colonel Galvanay brislted.   
I will not have a bloody Englishman tell Frenchman how to fight. He yelled with clearly faked anger. We will show you tea drinking pigs how real men die!  
There was a cheer from the French, responded to just as eagerly from the British side of things.  
Well, if you Brits are going to show us how to march, and you Frenchmen are going to show us how to die, I guess it's up to our intrepid Russians to show you how real men drink. There was a cheer from the Russian crowd at General Sergev's words. And drinking is best done after you've won the battle gentlemen.  
A question. A captain in French uniform raised a hand. How do we tell our digimon from theirs? They don't exactly come in different colors.  
TK looked around for a moment, temporarily at a loss, before Catherine tentatively stepped onto the platform from below.  
Well, I have a suggestion. You see, my mother owns a fabric store, and I was playing around with some designs. I thought it would be nice for the digidestined and the IDEF to have their own flag. So I made some plans and... She held up what she had been twisting nervously around her hands. It was a rectangular piece of midnight blue cloth, on which was emroidered in silver thread a pentagonal shield, over which had been placed a four pointed star. There was a murmur of approval from the crowd, and then TK stepped up wordlessly and took the flag from her and carefully and slowly tied it around Angemon like a sash. As he stepped back there was a muffled cheer from the watchers.  
How many of these can we get? TK asked.  
As many as you want. Catherine blushed.  
Individual orders will be passed out after this. TK called to the crowd. And then, well, good luck all.  
  
The enemy digimon did not have a chance. A boy and his Dobermon ran along the long streets of New York, now empty of anything but them and the enemy, his digimon sniffing anxiously, trying to find the last traces of enemy digimon, wherever they may have lain. Behind him came another group of kids with heavier digimon, powerful champions fresh to the fight led by a hulking Gorillamon. And behind them came the soldiers fresh off the helicopters, nervous but confident.  
Dobermon suddenly stopped, adopting the position of a hunting dog on point, and the digimon squadron moved in. But before they could get all the way in, there was a screech of noise.  
Woody Smasher! A blast of wooden splinters nearly took the front boy's head off, but Dobermon tackled him and brought him below their fire. The escorting digimon caught a brief glimpse of a pocket of Woodmon hidden in the ruins of a building, before someone else saw them too. A salvo of 2.75 rockets thundered by the advancing digimon, blasting the rubble into sand as a hovering Apache attack helicopter lent its salvo weight to the mission. As soon as the dust cleared the Woodmon only saw noise and fury as the escorting Champion-level digimon burst in upon the confused and injured dark digimon. A moment later all that was left of them was deleted data.  
The Apache began to fire on another target in another part of the city, as the Dobermon began looking for his next target.  
  
Split up! Joe yelled, pointing. You! Monzaemon, give me a hand with this slab, I think there's somebody under here. That's right, get one hand...er...paw under that corner and help me lift. Lift! There we go, medic, medic! Joe was a one man rescue army, ordering around his assistants like a general. Dozens of injured but alive bodies emerged from the rubble under his supervision, and more than one experienced combat doctor found themselves running under the lash of his will.  
Spread out! Tai ordered in his own part. You, Lieutenant. And you guys with the Mojyamon, take that route there, we'll try to circle around and cut any who are still here off from the source.  
Keep an eye out. WarGreymon bellowed behind him. Izzy had managed his usual genius, and had rewritten Gennai's translation program to allow them to speak English fluently. For once they had managed to break through the translation barrier more or less intact. Those Bakemon would rather run than fight, but I though I saw a few MetalMamemon somewhere over here, and those guys are much better at fighting. If you get in trouble, send up a flare and we'll start running.  
We'll cover the west side! Matt yelled, as MetalGarurumon roared off in the other direction.  
Good luck! Mimi yelled as she flew overhead with Lilymon.  
  
We're missing something. TK reported solemnly. And I think that whatever it is will be big. He looked at Izzy, Ken and Kari straight on.  
I would have to concur. TK could sense that Izzy was bursting with questions, such as how they could be having this conversation if he was in New York and the other two in Paris. And why the last thing he remembered was falling asleep in a cramped chair in a broken down office building. Khartan would not just launch an assault like this with all his planning. He would not have spent all that time maneuvering if all he wanted to do was launch a brute force attack.  
I think TK scared him too much. Ken seemed to be thinking about something else at the moment, but it was difficult to tell what.  
Hmmm...did I miss something? Izzy asked.  
Well, TK's display in the battle against Reaver was rather impressive. He scared the pants off of me, and he wasn't even throwing lightning bolts at me. I think he scared Khartan into hiding.  
Why would he do that? Kari asked. Khartan must know that TK alone could be handled, and that he was blocked from his powers afterwards.  
True, but he must have studied the digidestined some. And here's a fact for you. Whenever we discover a new form of digivolving, a new or different level, TK is always the last one to do it. It would seem logical then that TK would be the last one to reveal the powers of his crest, wouldn't it?  
But then why didn't anyone else reach out to stop Khartan before? Izzy countered, caught up in the argument.  
Simple...think about it. Hope is the most powerful crest of all. And even more than that, Hope is designed it seems, to fight the powers of darkness. Light is no slouch either, Kari lights up like a small nova. So it would make more sense for the others to use their digimon until they got used to their crest. Ken stood up, realized that he was floating in limbo, and sat back down again.  
That doesn't give us much to go on. Izzy murmured.  
But it suggests something. TK stared at the ceiling. It means that Khartan has finally managed to either deduce that we lack the powers of the crest, or it means that he finally thinks that he has the means to defeat us despite them.  
How powerful are the crests? Izzy asked.  
I think they're too powerful to be measured. TK replied slowly.  
I agree. So it may mean that Khartan has a bigger weapon than any of us previously believed possible. Kari responded. And it's going to be your job to find out what that weapon is Izzy.  
My job? Izzy sat up straight. Why me?  
Because you're the only one who can. Kari replied. TK and I know something about the powers of the crests, and knowledge is something that has special properties. You know everything Izzy, literally. The fact that the crest glows for you means that you are omniscient.  
But there are so many things I don't know. Izzy protested.  
You just don't know that you know them. TK corrected with a gentle smile. All you have to do is find them. And then we have to find ourselves, all of us, before we can win.  
Izzy asked, pleadingly.  
Inside you. Ken answered.  
You know what is coming for you Ken? Kari asked.  
I do. Ken answered, and Izzy saw, as the vision began to blur, that Ken had turned paler than usual, but was still calm.   
Then good luck. Wake up now, and find the truth! TK raised a hand and the scene vanished in a blur.  
  
Where's Izzy? Tai asked as the digidestined gathered in a burnt out building. We need him.  
No you don't. Ken replied. He's meditating, and can't be disturbed.  
We need him fighting, not thinking. Davis shot back.  
Not this time. Ken stared at the diminished cloud of darkness hiding the horde. He would not add that much to the battle, nothing compared to the effort that he is expending now.  
Where is he? Yolei asked curiously.  
Ken suddenly assumed a distant expression as if he was seeing something only he could see. I think he's about halfway between Companion's Gate and the Gate of Stars, although I can't really see clearly. Kari and TK are still somewhere in the Silver City, which means that I can't see anything.  
Question's tabled. Tai shot out before anyone could question what Ken meant.  
Matt thrust his hand out urgently.  
So what do we do with all these digimon? Yolei asked, shaking her head as if to clear it. We really don't want to be chasing them all over the countryside, do we?  
We send them away. Ken replied clearly. Yolei looked at him again and nearly gasped. He had changed, become sallow and gaunt, as if he had experienced a major shock in his life.  
Davis asked.  
The Dark Ocean. Ken whispered, and he gripped his D3 so hard his fingers turned white.  
But the only way to open up a portal is to...oh Ken, please don't. Yolei's eyes were suddenly wide with concern. She grasped his arm, but it felt cold and clammy to the touch.  
How do you want to do this Ken? Tai asked quietly. He understood the depth of Ken's intended sacrifice, and accepted it mutely. Courage was found in many places it seemed, and the bearer of Courage gave Ken a silent salute.  
This evening, when the powers of darkness begin to wax, that is when the dark ocean will draw close, but I will still retain enough of the light to resist the darkness. At that point I can open a portal to the dark ocean big enough to drive all those digimon back into. The problem is that it will only last a short while. They still outnumber us, but we've got them running. If we can keep up the momentum for a few more hours, we'll have a chance.  
What are you going to do? Matt asked softly.  
I'm going to meditate some myself. It's the only way to prepare myself. If you don't mind, I'd like Davis and Yolei with me as well, they can help anchor me to the real world, and they are my best friends here. Davis and Yolei blushed simultaneously at the simple no-nonsense tone in Ken's voice. Tai, you have the hard job. You've got to use every resource we've got and drive those digimon back all day long. At the end day I want every digidestined you can find to join up with me and help me to open the gate. Can you do it?  
Consider it done. Tai clutched Ken's shoulder with a firm hand.  
Very well. I'll be waiting for you I guess. Ken moved off slowly, each step shaky, but radiating his determination and courage to the world.  
  
Are you sure you can? TK asked quietly.  
Yes, but I'm not sure how long it might take. We're a bit confused right now. Adam tugged on an ear thoughtfully. It's just that I thought you should know.  
We'll run for the hills only as a last resort. TK replied, smiling.  
Well, if things keep up like this, we might be able to give you a hand after all. Gennai grinned.  
I guess I can live with that. Kari replied gently.  
  
Izzy walked through a world that was braced with light, and saw, for the first time, things that passed his understanding just as easily as his knowledge of computers might have passed the understanding of, say...an ant. He understood immediately what TK and Kari had meant. He knew everything. The beings that whispered past him, beings of light in the middle of shadow whispered in his ear, bringing him news that he had never even imagined.   
He could know anything. No! He could know everything! And why not? How many grains of rice are there in China? How many fish in the sea? How many angels can dance on the head of a pin?  
A being of brightness crossed beside him and whispered in his ear silently: _We've gotten up to six million, seven hundred thirty one thousand, five hundred eleven before we gave up.  
_ Izzy shuddered away from the implications of that.  
Somewhere in this was the answer.  
As if responding to his unspoken thoughts the room suddenly changed. Instead of a sea of light it changed into a library. The buiding was huge and ancient, the timbers that made up the structure, the walls and the beams that held up the massive ceiling looked older than the earth on which it must sit. Golden light came through huge glass windows placed high up on the walls, the light came down like a gentle waterfall, illuminating a central area filled with couches and soft chairs. And everywhere there were shelves of books, old wooden shelves, burnished with age, gleaming silently, waiting with untold promise.  
Are you ready for the test? The voice from behind him was sharp, and cut like a knife. There was a blast of heat and, just as Izzy turned around, the world changed into a desert. The creature he was facing was a magnificent being out of legend, and fortunately, thanks to his knowledge of western mythology, Izzy knew exactly what legend it was from. He was facing the human headed, stern looking lion known as the Sphinx, and instinctively he knew that the riddle that was coming would be harder than the one in the story.  
At the same time Izzy refused to hesitate. In some ways he thirsted for the challenge, and he knew that it might be one of the greatest moments in his life.  
These are the rules. You must answer the question. You must explain the answer. You must understand the answer. You may ask me any question you choose. Are you ready for the question?  
Izzy took in a deep breath and looked out at the vast desert. I am.  
Then the question is this. What is the meaning of life?  
_Somehow I don't think the answer is forty-two_. Izzy thought to himself.  
  
The signal was going to have to be unique, they had all agreed. It would already be dark so there was no use in using semaphore or anything. But the signal would have to be heard by everyone. Even with the sudden modifications and connections that had made it possible to restore some of the military technology that they so desperately needed, the situation was growing vastly more complicated. There were now troops from Britain, France, Germany, Belgium, Russia and even a small detachment from Poland sitting in the defense of Paris. More troops, small detachments from the Netherlands and Switzerland, larger units airlifted from Russia, Britain and Italy were already on their way. More German units were starting to move through the Rhine sector. There were so many different commands trying to talk to each other in the middle of Paris that nobody even knew where they were, let alone what was going on.  
Fortunately Colonel MacLeod had managed to discover the perfect signal for use, something so unique that everybody in the city who could hear it would recognize it. And some of the arrivals from Britain had given him the opportunity to put it into place.  
TK watched the view through live videocameras, positioned upon high-flying reconnaissance planes in the sky. The enemy had yet to attack planes flying high enough, and TK wondered absently if their experience with the US Air Force was making them cautious. Nevertheless he had no wish to engage in combat in the sky. Yet. But the images told the story very well.  
It was night so they could not see, but the infrared cameras saw with great attention to detail. The horde showed up there as a massive blob out of a B movie, something that was alive, struggling against itself from the inside, a thousand thousand living components enmeshed in some sort of gelatinous shell. TK ignored the image. He was damned if he was going to scare from an image taken high above the earth. When they got close enough to see he was going to worry.  
The blob meshed up against the farthest reaches of the city of Paris like the tide, sloshing around the buildings, unable to advance cleanly, and then beginning to split up. TK could watch outlying buildings slowly eaten away, sometimes destroyed purposefully, sometimes simply trampled underfoot. He watched the unified horde split into smaller and smaller tendrils, dissipating into the city. And then he turned to Kari who was standing next to him in the room in the middle of Versailles palace. He absently wondered as he turned how many kings and lords of ancient France had, from these very halls, launched operations that would leave thousands of men dead or wounded, and how many of them had done it for the best of reasons. At least he would be in similar company today, as the ghosts watched him quietly.  
Well, it looks like they're doing what we thought. Catherine smiled grimly.  
Excellent. We can go in with Leonidas One. Geneal Alexander sucked thoughtfully on the end of his pen. TK stared at the image a few moments longer, before he gathered the nerve to speak.  
Miss Kamiya. Inform the troops. The InterDimensional Expeditionary Force will advance and engage the enemy. He spoke quietly, and suddenly his formal tone no longer seemed so ridiculous. It seemed proper, and it fit, and everybody in the room fell silent as his tone and words registered.  
She bowed once, formally, and TK suddenly felt old and broken, and then she was gone out of the doorway to speak to a man standing outside, waiting for this moment.  
There was a moment of whispered conversation, and then it ended and Kari entered the room and placed her hand around TK's in a reassuring gesture. There were a few moments of silence, and then a noise that no digimon had ever faced before began.  
It was peculiar, TK had to admit that, even to the faces of the players, but they had just grinned and continued their music. But it was unique, and piped through a dozen loudspeakers at full volume it was enough to fill the city. All over he could picture hundreds and thousands of people looking up, that final moment of heart-stopping terror as the music began, and as the signal of death rang out. It was a strange noise for a Japanese team to fight under, but now it seemed fitting. The major in charge had explained, carefully, the tradition behind it, how many uncounted thousands had marched to their death under similar music, how many had fought under it. At the time TK had not understood, but now he did, and as the spirit of the musicians infused the world, as the honor that a hundred generations had fought for filled the air with the presence of the indomitable fighting spirit of mankind, his heart began to stir inside of him.  
The screams, shouts and explosions began. As TK stepped to the window and watched, pride in those who were willing to fight, to lay their lives before those of others, filled him.   
And the InterDimensional Expeditionary Force, together with an international army, marched into battle under the bright and bold sound of the bagpipers of the Royal Scots regiment, under the immortal swirl of _Scotland the Brave_.  
  
When the pipes began their tune, Cody understood the message. His hand tightened about the object in his hand, and he took a split-second to view those others who were standing next to him, silently waiting. Children with wide open eyes, staring at him like he was their savior come to life. For a moment he closed his own eyes in recognition of the pain that was about to come, and then, when they opened again, they were clear.  
Armadillomon digivolve to...Ankylomon!  
Ankylomon digivolve to...Shakkuomon!  
A hundred other digidestined hiding in the park with him suddenly let their digivices flare in salute, and a hundred other digimon rose out of the night, Champions beginning to charge their astounded enemy. Cody came over the embankment he had been hiding behind just in time to see a group of red eyed Monochromon before the attack was on them.  
Kachina bombs! Razor sharp disks flew out and impaled a dozen different champion level digimon, who disintegrated under the hammering blows. Then Shakkuomon moved on, his Harmonious Spirit blasting unwary digimon who got to close. Within a few seconds they had completely annihilated the Monochromon patrol without a single casualty.  
All right, let's get going! Cody shouted. We can cut them off if we try hard enough, and we can hit the main group from the flank!  
He waved and a hundred digimon, followed by a hundred children and a battalion of German regulars charged the unseen enemy.  
  
Sora heard the music begin to swirl through the night, the cutting sound of the pipes slicing through even the hoarse grunts of combat below. She waited for the sounds of combat to start all over the city before acting, just like she had been told to. It hurt in a way, staying out of the fight, especially one in which she was so desperately needed, just like this one. But she understood why she had to do it, and knew that it had to be done. Nevertheless it hurt to be taken out of the fight like this, and she could only respect the bravery of those fighting and dying in front of her.  
She thought for a moment about the golden haired boy leading them, about what he had been once upon a time, about the crybaby that had once been Takeru Takaishi. She thought about the way he looked and acted like his brother, about his candid admission that when she was around he did not miss his mother so much, about the many other things he had been. And she thought about the confident man he had become at last, the boy who was leading them now. TK had certainly come a long way. So had Kari for that matter, and she was growing more mature every day. Both of them. That at least promised to be interesting to watch.  
_We've all changed_. She smiled to herself. Privately she was a bit amazed that none of them ever seemed to realize how much, but it seemed that TK did at least. His eyes were already haunted just a little. But Sora was confident that Kari would straighten him out in the future.  
Her crest began to glow. And then the pipers entered the second refrain, audible even above the crush of battle. In front she could see the wave as the flying digimon began to settle on the fighting like a flock of scavengers.  
Biyomon...digivolve to...Birdramon!  
Birdramon...digivolve to...Garudamon!  
And Sora, riding Garudamon for all she was worth soared over the parapets of the modern office buildings to attack the flying digimon. All around her windows exploded outward, wooden barricades were knocked down all to reveal hiding places, and five hundred fresh flying digimon exploded into the teeth of the enemy. The flying digimon of the horde still outnumbered them heavily, but surprise was against them, and they were spread out. The attack drilled in behind a Wing Blade that wiped out an entire squadron of Vilemon, and then there were other attacks pressing them.   
Out of the corner of an eye she could see a Unimon blast her way through two different Roachmon. In another quadrant she could watch Yuri and Anna drive a hole through a group of Flymon. She smiled as another shudder marked the destruction of another squadron of Vilemon, and then frowned as she watched the further elements of the enemy draw up in attack formation.  
Raptor squadron, draw up on me. She spoke into her D3 after seeing who was nearby. "Crossbow squadron, you too. Longbow, punch a hole through those Roachmon above the flaming warehouse. Scimitar, see if you can draw off their heavies for us. Lion squadron, follow us in. All others, break and attack!  
Someone spoke back.  
Someone else shouted through the communications link as her formation of digidestined and digimon exploded like a firework, digimon arcing out in all directions, several of them saluting proudly as they shot by. Sora saluted back and then turned back to her D3.  
TK, we've got them on the run.  
  
All right. TK turned to General Alexander. That's as good as we're going to get. Launch the ground support strike.  
Aye aye General Takaishi. Alexander snapped off a salute and almost laughed openly at the expression on TK's face. It had to be the most impressive one-day promotion in history, but Takeru Takaishi was now officially a general in the Queen's army. It had been done to make the bureaucracy easier, but that had not made it any easier on TK. Some obscure rule that Colonel MacLeod had possibly invented on the spot had given General Alexander the ability to recruit a new officer if the circumstances were grave enough. The promotion would not last after the crisis, but for the time being everyone acted as if Takeru Takaishi had been officially promoted to General, and had been given command of the operation personally.  
Okay, and move the reserves up. They know when to commit themselves. TK ordered, and looked at Patamon on his shoulder. The small mammal nodded, and he left the room.  
  
Daniel Ollivander of European Legion London charged around a corner on Deltamon, a hundred and fifty other digimon backing him up as he did so. They had annihilated almost a hundred Bakemon without even needing to strain themselves, but now they were running into the main force of the invasion. A group of what must have been fifty Tyrannomon surrounded by more floating Bakemon and bouncing Veggiemon lumbered their way out of the darkness to meet him, and he began to yell and try to form up his troops into a line, as the soldiers of the French Foreign Legion came up from behind.  
Down and cover! A French lieutenant suddenly yelled, and Daniel ducked, placing his face against Delatmon's tough hide as the other digidestined did the same.  
There was a roar that nearly split his eardrums, and twenty all-weather Tornado fighters configured for ground assault screamed over his head, jets laboring to keep them clear of the killing zone above their heads. Half of them were carrying canisters of bomblets, little explosives that scattered themselves all over the ground, exploding all over and maiming and destroying digimon all over the ground. The others were carrying Napalm.  
Daniel could feel the wave of heat pass over his neck, and thought he could feel the hair on his head begin to singe. It felt like he had just jumped in a baker's oven. And it felt like forever before the heat began to recede, but, as the noise began to register in his ears again, he took a peek.  
There was no sign of the enemy digimon. None whatsoever.  
All right! He yelled, as Deltamon bucked and roared.   
  
So, explain. Yolei demanded. Ken sighed for a moment while he looked for a slightly better way to explain this than the way he had been planning. After a few moments he grinned and begin to move things around in the dirt with his fingers.  
All right, imagine the world as a pancake.  
All right, pancakes! Davis exclaimed. ExVeemon and Silphymon were still out on the front lines, helping the others, but, as Ken had requested, Davis and Yolei were sitting here with him. Ken grinned.  
Yes, so our universe is sort of a pancake. It's flat and it looks funny, right?  
So you mean there are a bunch of other worlds also looking like pancakes. Yolei said thoughtfully, pulling at her lip with a finger. So we're on a stack of giant pancakes.  
Yes and no. Ken replied. You see, this is all in many dimensional space, so its hard for us three dimensional beings to see it properly. In fact I can't see it, but I think I understand it. There are millions of worlds like pancakes, floating in a sea of maple syrup, in a million different stacks. Does that make any sense?  
Davis looked hungry. Yolei's eyes began to cloud over. All right, go on.  
Okay, I will. Each world is floating in a sea of syrup. Well, what the syrup actually is is the living entity we call the Digital World. Or the Digital Plane, or whatever. The problem is that the Digital World is not an accurate description, it's really a whole bunch of worlds meshed together, blended and mixed. It's really confusing, but everything in those in-between worlds is influenced or created by the thoughts of those people living in the pancakes. I don't understand it all, but that seems to be the way it works.  
Okay, I can picture that. So we're all floating in the Digital Plane, and the only way to get to other worlds is through pieces of the Digital World!  
Right, but the Digital World is divided into different worlds itself. But that's not important right now. What is important is the top of the stack.  
What's on the top of the stack? Butter? Yolei asked.  
Ken replied shortly.  
Davis let his eyes widen.  
Yes, and there's a connection, think of it as a pillar of light, that runs through each world, every world simultaneously, stretching from heaven all the way down to...the other place. Now it's spiritual, not physical, so there's no place where you can go to feel it, but every world, even the digital ones are connected with it. We call it the Heart of the World. There are a thousand thousand different gates into it, and whenever you need to and have the skill to you can enter a gate, and receive the power within. That's the important thing about the Heart of the World.  
And that's where you're going. Whoa. How do you get there? Davis asked, impressed by Ken's explanation.  
The road's inside of me. Ken leaned back and closed his eyes.  
Well, I guess he's on his way. Davis rubbed his chin. He gave Ken a wink which Ken felt more then saw. Hey, Yolei! How about some pancakes?  
Agghh...is all you ever think about food? Yolei slapped a hand to her forehead with mock drama. Can't you be serious for even a moment?  
Ken listened for a moment to the voices of his friends, and then set his foot upon the path that lead only to himself.  
  
Tai gulped down water passed to him by a shaking man with a heavily bandaged arm. He was dirty and worn, but he and WarGreymon had been helping push the enemy back for hours. Both of them were tired now, close to exhaustion, but they were fighting, buying time. They probably did not need to push the enemy this hard, but WarGreymon and Tai were a good team, and keeping them in the front lines was probably saving hundreds of lives that might otherwise be lost. Besides, the enemy would have to be really pushed to be forced back into the Dark Ocean.  
Go get 'em kid. Someone he did not even know slapped him on the back as he took off again, back into the battle.  
  
Ken paused at the crossroads and peered down both ways. In the darkness surrounding him the roads were barely visible, and both of questionable safety. One seemed to lead deeper in the forest that he was walking through, into the twisting bracken and brambles that surrounded the path. The other bubbled in the distance, as if the surface was nothing more than a patch of muddy water. Neither particularly appealed to him. He sat for a moment, at the crossroads, and thought. Then he closed his eyes. When he opened them again, he was no longer alone.  
You can't walk forever, you know. The Kaizer reminded him nastily. Ken simply smiled up at the shade towering over him, and immediately the image fell to more human proportions.  
I can walk long enough. Ken replied.  
You can't walk far enough to escape me. The Kaizer had an edge in his voice that Ken would have sworn had never been in his own voice, but he was really in no position to judge. Wherever you run, when you're tired and exhausted, when you've reached the end of your rope, when you are panicked and sitting alone. That's when I'll find you and take you for my own.  
I won't fall back into your ways. Ken responded calmly.  
Yes you will Ken. I am the darkness inside of you. You cannot leave me behind so easily.  
All of us are tortured by our demons. All of us have learned the meaning of doubt rather spectacularly. I am unimpressed by your claims.  
As I am by yours. The Kaizer jumped down from above Ken to stand eye to eye with his alter-ego. Let's face it Ken. Why are you here? Because you need my strength, don't you? The strength of the darkness that you once allowed to run through you unchecked. That's what you need to defeat your enemies, isn't it? The power that I epitomize. That which I am and that which I become. You need me.  
No I don't. Ken was unperturbed by the Kaizer's observations. All I know is that I need myself. That which I am. That which is me. I don't need you anymore.  
There was a strange expression on the Kaizer's face. So you've come here to gloat? Entered the dark recesses of your own mind to prove to me that you're stronger.  
Ken answered simply, as he recognized the truth. I came to see if I could do anything for you.  
The Kaizer was so startled he almost fell down.   
Because I bear the symbol of Kindness. It's what I am, remember? And I think that Kindness is stronger than evil of all stripes. More powerful than the hatred and anger that you represent. But I have to offer it to everyone. After all, and here Ken grinned, a task the Kaizer would have found impossible. who knows where a hero might be hiding? Kindness is for everyone. Especially your enemies. You must not give in to them, but you must not hate them. And when they are defeated, you must aid them, and draw them back into the Light. Kindness is mine, and I offer it to you.  
The Kaizer looked on in blank astonishment, and then his image began to waver. For a moment he was a formless cloud of dark light, and then he solidified into a person.  
Good-bye brother mine. Osamu Ichijouji, still looking like he had in Ken's mind the day he died, raised one hand in a gesture that Ken never could have mistaken. Be well...always. And then he was gone, back into the twisting regions of infinity.  
Ken smiled and walked on down the suddenly visible path until he reached the door. He had already shed all his tears.  



	22. The IDEF at War

Disclaimer: I do not own Digimon: Digital Monsters. This is a fan work, created for non-profit purposes purely for the enjoyment of the readers and as a creativity exercise.  
A/N: It's also ridiculously late. Sorry.  
  
**

Episode XLVI  
The IDEF at War

**  
  
_The battle, sir, is not to the strong alone; it is to the vigilant, the active, the brave_...  
--Patrick Henry—  
  
_"It is better to die on your feet than to live on your knees!"_   
-Emiliano Zapata  
  
France is a nation with many heroes. Charles Martel stood at Tours and halted the advance of the Moors into Europe. Charlemagne rose into power and created an empire from a small kingdom. Joan of Arc threw the English out of the country, starting with the lifting of the siege of Orleans. Louis XIV earned the title of the Sun King from his conquests as well as his palace. It was Napoleon who changed a nation wracked with revolution into a continental empire. The Marshals of the First World War pulled off the Miracle at the Marne to save their country. Charles de Gaulle kept the spirit of the nation alive when it had already fallen. To him went the glory of victory in the Second World War.  
And Takeru Takaishi owned the Third Battle of Versailles.  
This time he did not stand alone against his enemies, but his enemies learned of him nonetheless. He was the golden figure, the man in the golden aura who would streak to the battlements, to the modern ramparts of plastic and concrete set among the ancient city. He would be there, and the massive shining angel with the purple helm and sword would be right behind him, sword flashing in deadly arcs as he forced the digimon to fall back. Wherever he arrived, there he would stand, and he could not be moved.  
He did not move alone. The brown haired girl in pink, with her accompanying angel moved with him, staying behind him, and shielding him from the fury of his foes. She moved with confidence, but she struck with an energy that was unearthly in its fury. She started with a staff, but when it broke she would grab other weapons to use against any unlucky foe who got close enough. Her angel sent flight after flight of arrows arcing down into her foes, and they would fall to the ground, burned from the inside out. The girl and the pink angel brought light.  
With them came the shorter, blonde girl carrying the standard, that piece of blue cloth on a decorative lance that the enemies hated so. They could not understand how the appearance of nothing more than a piece of cloth could change things so, but it could. Whenever the children they fought could see the flag, fluttering bravely in the wind of battle, defiant against the darkness, they cheered, and out of that cheer they would leap back into battle once more. The banner was no longer bright and new, covered in soot and ashes, holed by bullets and by lucky attacks, but it was still there, a beacon in the ever-growing darkness.  
The enemies also hated the cold-eyed men that followed the golden warrior. They watched the battle with calm, unblinking eyes, speaking rapidly to their followers and a wave of soldiers came out wherever they pointed. Holes in the line were plugged before they could be exploited. Successful attacks were ambushed and cut off from help. Counter-attacks arose at the worst point when they pointed. Men and women threw themselves into battle wherever those imposing humans could find a weakness to exploit, no matter how well it was hidden.  
But the darkness hated the golden boy with a passion that defied words. He brought order out of chaos with his mere presence. Where he arrived battle surged back against them with alarming speed. Children who had been retreating, running away, or hiding in the desperate hope that they would not be seen, regained heart in his presence. They suddenly charged into the darkness, digimon screaming in rage, the children running along behind, granting their digimon strength. These children and their partners were outnumbered by so much, surrounded by so much darkness, but in the presence of that one golden candle, they flared to life like a bonfire. Unstoppable, dauntless, they threw themselves at their foes like a tornado, ignoring all injuries as they tore at their opponents again and again with the fury of the gods themselves. And with them came the humans with the guns, bullets cracking out, grenades flying, and then when those methods had been exhausted, bayonets stabbing and twirling until they killed their foe or were killed themselves. No attack could hit the golden boy either. Whenever he was pressed digidestined leaped to his defense in a wave, sometimes absorbing hits with their own bodies, and digimon surged in a tidal wave to defend him. He was more than their leader, he was their heart, and the sight of him caused the forces of darkness to quail.  
The horde was causing damage; that they knew. Digidestined screamed and fell, their digimon partners torn apart by eager claws, but they were falling too slow. For every human they ripped to bloody rags, for every piece of flesh that died beneath their claws, they died too. There were more of them, but the digimon they were facing were unafraid and unstoppable, monsters out of legend, and for every one that died, a thousand more rose to take its place. The horde pushed on as the pressure from those behind mounted, but the losses were beginning to tell.  
  
Cody hid beneath an overhanging wall and gasped for breath. He had never believed that war could be anything like this...this swirl of death and destruction, the constant noise filling the air. Even here in a relatively calm part of the city of Paris he could hear the screams of the dying and the injured, the piteous sounds they made as they expired or were crushed underfoot, and he winced at the noise. Everywhere he looked he could see faces, some just men who had died nearby, but others different, faces he had known. A young girl who he had led in a desperate assault to relieve some of the Russian positions who had died of a single shot through the chest from an enemy MetalMamemon. Her digimon, a FlareLizamon now angered beyond comprehension, mad with rage and grief had torn that digimon to pieces, and had leaped to battle, attacking recklessly. Cody had never seen him again either. His group had shrunk. Many of them had been forced to return to the medical camps further back in the city, but others had disappeared in the swirl of battle, and had not returned. He hoped against hope that they had made it out, that they had made it safely to friendly lines, but he knew that the odds were against him. The gaping holes in his ranks tore holes in his heart, but he steeled it. He now knew what the cost of not stopping that horde would be.  
Armadillomon crouched next to him. Even for a digimon used to battle the slaughter outside was more horrible than anything he had ever known. But at the same time he felt a pride that could never have been equaled in those children, so used to laughing and playing games, who were throwing themselves grimly time after time into the teeth of battle. They went with no qualms, and they fought like maddened beasts. All of them now knew the cost of failure, knew that there was no retreat and no surrender, and had crossed the line of no return. He was proud of Cody too. When they first met Cody would have run away at the earliest opportunity to hide from the scene boiling around him. Now Armadillomon knew that his partner was focused, and absently wondered if Cody even remembered why there was decomposed data lining the blade of his sword. Or if he knew that his crest had been glowing the whole time.  
Well Armadillomon, you ready? Cody asked after a moment.  
Armadillomon replied.  
We're ready too commander. A digidestined from Singapore grinned tiredly at Cody. Ready to go back out and kick some ass.  
One of the soldiers who had attached themselves to Cody, a British private, nodded grimly. Amen to that.  
All right then, let's go see if they can figure out what hit them this time. Cody rushed around the edge of the wall with Armadillomon bouncing right behind them, and his command dashed after him.  
  
Izzy sat, puzzled. He had thought down many different lines of thought, and unfortunately had to admit that he was just as stumped as he was the first time that he thought about the question. It was not easy to think about for that long, but the desert offered no distractions, unless he wanted to look at the hungry Sphinx, who bared her magnificent fangs every once in a while. Remembering the traditional end to those who failed the Sphinx's challenge, he tried not to look in that direction too often.  
The desert wind whipped hot around him, but he ignored it and kept on concentrating.  
  
Daniel and Deltamon turned a new corner. His original team was still around him, and they were working like a real team now. In fact, they were fighting like one digimon that just happened to have multiple bodies. Where there was trouble, someone else sprang there to take care of it, whenever someone was in trouble there was a roar and someone else would be there. Still, they would have fallen a dozen times, a hundred times if it had not been for the others following them. Daniel's success at not only striking at the enemy, but also keeping his own people alive had attracted soldiers left abandoned all over the battlefield.   
European Legion London was backed up by nearly two dozen digidestined whose names and faces Daniel no longer recognized in the haze of battle. Among them there were about fifty soldiers from a variety of nations hovering around, trying to keep together. Many of them had already run out of ammunition, but they were fighting all the same, simply because there was nowhere safe to fall back to. They clustered around the legs of the more powerful digimon, holding their positions and keeping smaller but more agile enemy forces from harassing the larger IDEF digimon. They were grimy, faces blackened by the constant smoke that filled the battlefield, sometimes covered in blood and bandages that once might have been white. But they were waiting on him, and the weight of the responsibility settled in his stomach like a large, uncomfortable bowling ball.  
You ready? He asked quietly, receiving nods in answer, and he allowed himself to have a small grin. Then let's do it, eh?  
Deltamon rushed out first, just in case there was any surprise waiting for them at the end of the narrow alley. He pulverized a Woodmon that was caught looking the wrong way, but that was the only enemy digimon close enough to hinder them. They had emerged in the side of a rush against the French Foreign Legion's positions at the top of the broad street, and most of the digimon there were sticking towards the middle, looking forward. They were concerned with the frontal attack they were about to make, not with the possibility of flanking maneuvers.  
Next thing they understood there were two dozen Champions among them, along with their human partners, fighting as hard as they could, battering the enemy to pieces before they could rearrange to attack them. Behind them came the soldiers. Then Daniel was submerged in the continuing flow of battle, and there was only the moment. His only glance of anything besides twisting bodies surging against him was one crystal-clear vision of a golden boy moving across a street in the distance.  
  
A voice broke through Tai's reverie. He snapped out of his exhausted trance in time to see Davis shaking him. It was just sunset, and Tai was so tired he could practically feel his arms falling off. He had been fighting all day, and lost count of the times that WarGreymon had turned back into Agumon from lack of energy. But now the expression on Davis' face told him that something was up. The other digidestined, grouped here, slowly became aware that something was happening.  
What's up? Joe asked sleepily as Davis shook him too.  
Ken's coming. Davis sounded like he had just been strangled, and the glances that he kept shooting over his shoulder enforced that impression.  
What do you mean by ...Ken's...coming... Tai's voice trailed off as if he had just let it sail off a waterfall without him, and his jaw dropped so low that it probably would have been humorous if it had not happened in concert with everyone else.  
Ken was coming, walking with a singleness of purpose that was so obvious, so astounding that every digidestined in the area immediately felt shocked. It was not the way he was moving, in a straight line toward them that astonished them. It was the way he walked through anything in his way. Even as Tai watched, the remainder of a Ford sedan suddenly crumpled up into a ball as if a giant hand had squeezed it, and Ken walked through the space it had just occupied. His eyes were unfocused, staring ahead through Tai and the others, and a telephone pole that had fallen down blasted apart, clearing the street in front of him. Tai wondered absently if Ken could actually see him with that unfocused gaze, and then realized that he really did not want Ken to be able to see him. He finally understood why Davis and the others had been unnerved, to say the least, by TK's sudden transformation. Yolei was walking about ten meters behind the black haired digidestined, and looking intimidated.  
Ken came to a sudden stop only a meter away from Tai, and then his eyes cleared suddenly, and he was Ken again, even if he was standing in the middle of a straight path of destruction.  
If his voice shook, nobody noticed it, and the smile he gave was gentle and clear as a bell. I'm ready.  
  
TK smacked a Bakemon in the head with his glowing staff, no longer surprised when the digimon disintegrated under the golden blow. Not much was surprising him anymore, and he was in a dream-state. He could barely remember or understand what he was doing, his hearing dulled as his other senses enhanced themselves. Behind him there was a subtle change in airflow as MagnaAngemon sliced something apart, and the rain of digital data as whatever it was came apart on top of him. Then there was another pocket of calm, as Kari and Angewomon took point, raining silver arrows down on red glowing eyes and blackened heads.  
TK felt himself come out of the dream-state with a shock. He grabbed the shoulder of a French boy he barely recognized, but knew was a leader of sorts and yelled in the boy's ear.  
Give me a line, twenty meters across, at a backwards angle from that street corner. See if you can force them to go north right now! We can hit them as they cross the plaza to the north. But take your company and fall back now! TK did not even know if this boy had a company anymore, and, as he looked down, he knew what removing that company, no matter how small, would do to the thin line that was still holding, but he did not have a choice. He had to prepare for the future, and that line was going to hold for much longer anyway. The boy saluted and yelled some things and a group of ragged digimon and humans began to run away.   
TK waded forward, nearly falling over a group of dead human bodies that lay clustered in the middle of the street, jumping over the wreckage that had been an armored car, before making it to the German captain in charge of this particular piece of the Line.  
All right, start falling back in five minutes. That will give us time to set up another line behind you. Hopefully we'll be able to cover you from there. Now get moving! TK yelled, and the captain saluted himself as TK ran forward to the few digidestined still holding this portion of the line, one of them still holding the tattered remnants of an IDEF flag. Their digimon were almost buried in a sea of blackness, but they were still holding.  
All right troops, let's give our boys a few minutes to do something with. TK yelled as he hoped into the shelter with them. He caught a glimpse of digimon in another section of the line staging a lightning raid at the same time, and he charged into the confusion, to be lost in the battle once more.   
  
Get the reserve company moving! General Alexander yelled. Tell them to meet the retreating line...two streets back from where they are now. Take advantage of the height of the office buildings. I want constant sniper fire on those digimon as they approach. Let's move it! Catherine immediately turned around and shouted the same thing in French. General Alexander stopped for a moment to curse his luck. Here he was, the man in charge for the most desperate city battle since Stalingrad, and half his troops were kids. He was not badmouthing them, they were as good a group of fighters as he had ever met, but he had joined the army to save the children, not to send them into battle.  
The fight, from what command information they had managed to assemble, had degenerated into a brawl. From the reports he was getting, they had been pushed back, while only inflicting acceptable losses on their enemies, and they were just about to get trapped against the river. But trained observers had also reported that, while the line itself was pushed pretty farther back, there was definitely fighting going on in front of them. Isolated army groups held individual building complexes; grounded digimon fought each other and raiding parties swept through enemy lines, exchanging fire with their opponents in hailstorms of oblivion. Everywhere there was the crackle of lightning, the thunder of the gun.  
We're losing the right flank. Catherine reported grimly for a moment as the radiomen kept yelling at them.  
I know. And I can't do a damn thing about it. And Sir Thomas Alexander knew despair.  
  
Tai ducked out of the way as Ken brought both of his hands up. In one hand his D3 was burning so brightly that Tai could have easily mistaken it for the sun if the light had not been pure white. In his other hand there was only a flare of pink light, a torrent that raced through the elder digidestined and reinvigorated him. Ken himself seemed to be glowing from within, his hair rising as if an internal wind was blowing it away from him, his eyes once again unfocused. But the light in his hands was anything but. It was perfectly focused, and Ken brought forth the strength from within that had once housed nothing but darkness. His D3 exploded with energy, and the sky shifted to respond.  
At first, there was nothing, not even a hint of a change. But then the sky swirled, the faint light from sunset changing, subtly torquing as the sky itself began to waver. And then the darkness pealed back, tearing apart, revealing massive holes through the space-time continuum. There was nothing there, they were only gates to nothing, doors that led nowhere, but they were the start of the real test. His face furrowed in concentration as his hands began to shake, as the D3 in the midst of them rattled, almost falling apart itself.   
Tai felt his own heart move to join the boy, and he raised his own hands to help, and at that moment, he felt his courageous act provoke a response within. The light from within was warm and comforting, heating him slowly from the inside out, and then it stretched through reaching fingertips into his own D3. For a moment he was tempted to blink in consternation, as he could not remember drawing the device from its usual place on his belt, but he forced the impulse back. He wanted to risk nothing that could interrupt the timeless magic that was suddenly coming to the fore.  
Matt stood also. He was amazed privately at the number of them still alive. His occasionally pessimistic viewpoint had gotten the best of him again, but he still believed that they had gotten lucky. The power of friendship had let them survive the battle for New York, and he was not about to start doubting it now. He, along with digidestined from a hundred countries had stood firm, had refused to fall to their enemies. And now he was standing there, in the center of everything, and he let that light shine out from him.  
Mimi, her innocence forgotten, lost in the bloodshed of the battle of the Line, covered in grime and blood and sweat and tears, felt for a moment as if she was watching something more precious than innocence. This was Ken's solid refusal to fall, to give in to the forces that taunted him with powers beyond his own. This was a single man standing, glowing against the horizon, silhouetted against the fall of night. And her heart went out to join his as he let the light flare from him.  
Joe had nothing to say. Ken was facing inner demons that staggered him, things that Joe did not even want to know about. But he knew all about running away from what was inside. There was not even a flicker of cowardice in his feelings now, and he raised one hand to mirror Ken's gesture, and his crest flamed with light, adding his own strength to the tower that Ken was becoming.  
Davis knew he was not bright, but he failed to recognize his singular gift sometimes. The fact that, when the going got rough, his moral compass was as steady as a rock. The universe could have been built around Davis's picture of it, and could not have found a more stable anchor. Maybe it was that guidance that led Davis to place one hand just on Ken's back. As his hand touched Ken's left shoulder all present could feel the solid flow of strength from Davis to Ken, the river of Light that now was flowing into the boy still taunted by the darkness. Some of the strain eased from Ken's face, his sweat ceased to flow in rivers, and he looked comforted. The sky began to open, and this time they could begin to see shapes that spoke of land and air and sea.  
Then Yolei, having no doubts about her purpose here, placed her own hand on Ken's right shoulder. The sky shuddered under that, and slowly the Dark Ocean began to come into focus, blazing ever brighter and brighter in the sky.  
And light from a thousand digivices sent brilliant flares into the darkness, and with them the veils of night were repealed, and the Gate stood open. It obscured the entire northern part of Manhattan island, a massive doorway into a world of dark surf and sand, of darker foam. A thousand digidestined, tired, hungry, exhausted, but still somehow full fo energy and light clustered around Ken, the light from their digivices showing the way. More digidestined were gathering all the time, with every minute and every second the light was growing greater.  
Ken yelled as the light spilled forth, flaming like the output of a thousand torches. Drive them back! Drive them into the gate!  
All right! Tai yelled to make himself heard. Matt, take a hundred digidestined and go east, make sure to press them on the riverside. Mimi, I want you to take the western half, take Team Eagle with you and another hundred digidestined. Harrison and Joe, split up. Take the marine digimon with you and make sure that none of them manage to escape to either side of the island. Lock them in. Once we're sure they can't escape, we can drive them into the Gate. All the rest with me. We'll make a line between Matt's squad and Mimi's, and then charge them right up the center. Got it?  
A thousand digidestined shouted.  
Let's go! And Tai led his tired troops back into the crush of combat.  
  
Izzy paced again, first one way and then the other, always keeping his mind busy, but his feet were becoming tired. The desert showed no signs of changing, and the Sphinx kept watching him with the patient eyes of a cat. He tried to ignore that emerald gaze, but was having scarce luck. Still the Sphinx did not interfere, something for which Izzy was grateful.  
Obviously this test has something to do with my crest. Izzy spoke aloud after an hour of silence. The Sphinx made no reply, but swished its tail. Swish. Swish. Swish.  
That means that something I know should be the key. I refuse to believe that the test could be impossible, which means that I must, somehow, know the answer. Not that this means anything, but the answer is somewhere inside of me. So, logically, by applying the rules I've learned I can come up with the answer. Swish. Swish. Swish.  
But which rules do I apply? After all, I'm fairly certain that this isn't a logic puzzle. Hmmm....well, first you apply Occam's razor. The simplest solution is usually the correct solution. Swish. Swish. Swish. Okay, but what do I apply it to? Is it useless? No, it isn't. Got it. All it means is that whatever answer I come up with won't be too complicated. I suppose that means that I can forget any sophisticated physics answers or anything. The answer is simple.  
Which answers are simple? Well, because is about as simple as you can get, but I don't think that it's correct. What about why not? Hmmm....same problem. What other simple answers are there? Because I said so? Too close to because. I suppose that there are many answers to this question. All right, I know that there are many answers to this question, but only one of them is right...or is it?  
Izzy paused for quite a while, waiting for something new to come to him, the glimmer of an idea beginning to shape itself in his mind. Then he shook his head as if to clear it. But the meaning of life depends on the person, doesn't it? I mean there are six billion people on Earth alone, and everyone sees things a different way. So it would seem that there are as many meanings of life as there are people, but that's not a good answer really. Because it seems to me that the meaning of life for one particular person changes as time goes on. The way I view life today is not the same as I viewed in ten years ago. At the same time, the way I view life now is slightly different from the way I did yesterday, and tomorrow I will know something different from all that. So, we change, and our views change with us. So there is no flat-out answer, is there?  
We're all like blind men, groping out way to an unknowable truth. And since it's unknowable, since it's so vast, then whatever direction we go in is still valid. There are an infinite number of meanings, but eventually they converge to one.  
And that's the point. Despite all my knowledge and skill, despite all I can learn, and all that I have the ability to know, there are still things that are beyond me. All knowledge has its limits, but those limits are always closer to me than I think. There are many things that I cannot be certain about, and all of them must be foremost in my mind. One cannot know without knowing that there is much that one does not know. Which is the answer to the riddle.  
The Sphinx was gone.  
The desert was gone.  
Izzy settled down on one of the plump, cushioned chairs in the vast library, opened the nearest book, and began to read.  
  
We're running out of places to run! Kari called as fate brought her and her boyfriend together for one precious moment, golden light and pink-tinged white intermingling.  
I know! TK screamed back moments before the press of battle broke them apart again. He had picked up an impressive cut across his jawline, and he was bruised and bleeding in a dozen places, but he was gamely holding on, rallying the troops where he arrived, leading them to safety or death. He was exhausted, tired and ready to drop, but he would not give up. Still, it had not done them that much good. They had been methodically pushed back until they were almost against the buildings they had tried so hard to protect. From his position only a handful of meters behind the front lines, TK could already see the Arch of Triumph, the huge landmark now pockmarked where some stray digimon had probably fired upon it.   
Orders sir? A battered man wearing the captain's uniform of the Royal Marines looked up at TK, covered in soot and grime and blood.  
TK's stomach roiled once as he watched a digidestined caught on the wrong side of the line explode into bloody fragments, and he took a moment to get it under control before responding. Then emotion was submerged in a tidal wave of exhaustion, exhaustion so deep it even overcame the pain of his injuries. How long can you keep holding here?  
Maybe another fifteen minutes at this rate, but the ammo's starting to get a bit low.  
TK swore. He had not managed to put together enough logistic support to reinforce his front lines. In fact, unless General Alexander had been pulling miracles out of his hat, there were no more reinforcements. I'm going to check if the second line is set, but if it is, you're going to have to get back there in under a minute, before they can follow us.  
Got it. The captain nodded.  
What's the plan? Sora ran up, panting. In the background, TK could see Garudamon doing the complicated flips she could do when not burdened with her human rider.  
We try to give ourselves enough time to fall back to the second line, and plan B. TK replied calmly.  
We have a plan B? Sora panted. That's nice for a change.  
Right. We've been leading them here all day. The center has been giving ground steadily in hopes of drawing them into the center of the city, where most of their troops could be cut off from their flanks. The problem is that it hasn't all been our idea. Our center simply couldn't hold against that many digimon. We had hoped to have reinforcements here, but I think we've used them up just to hold them this long. TK looked around. I don't know if the second line will hold any better than the first, especially if we can't find a way to disengage.  
Better than nothing. Sora shrugged.  
Thanks for the vote of confidence. TK murmured.  
They've broken through! A panicked voice shouted from the front. Other voices began to yell, breaking off occasionally with sickening suddenness, and TK whipped around.  
Oh hell. Sora breathed out. An entire portion of the line had essentially disintegrated, and now a wave of darkness had broken through, punching its way through the front lines. Digimon roared and stamped, and digidestined and soldiers alike, bereft of the protection of their fellows, began to fall back, running away from their foe. The entire line trembled, a dozen men retreating in one way, a dozen in another.  
Fall back! TK yelled, and the line began to move. Fortunately the forces of darkness were confused just enough to miss what was going on, and in taking and trying to clear unmanned defenses, they were just a bit behind the retreating army. Nevertheless they bounced up almost immediately to give chase as soldiers ran past open parks and exposed areas, drawing the main enemy after them. Chaos reigned on the battlefield. Men fell and were swallowed up by the darkness, but still the darkness came on, as the light fled backwards. For a moment TK despaired of managing to separate the two groups, of keeping from killing his own men. The enemy charge had split his army into two sections, one withdrawing to each side of a broad set of avenues, letting the enemy run freely down the street, driving a wedge between them. Even with an army unified physically, there were difficulties with defending once they had been pushed as hard as the IDEF had. Now it appeared that there was no chance at all.   
Then there was a disturbance near the Arch itself.  
As TK saw what it was, his heart sank.  
  
The horde ran through New York. They did not know what lay ahead of them, in that portal of darkness, but because they could see in, it probably was not oblivion. And that was what awaited them here, standing in the way of the largest surge of soldiers that they had ever faced. Digimon charged them, leading point for huge groups of humans, armed with the weapons that cut and tore at flesh, that chewed the mighty digital warriors into so much scrap. There was not much more that they could do, the armies of digidestined were too much for them, and the IDEF had managed to push them back.  
They were far from home, and they had become homesick. These were not the soft humans they had been told would fight them, these were battle-hardened warriors, and in the eyes of their imagination they had grown, become giant monsters with cold eyes and steel muscles. They had killed, but they were suffering too much to afford to stand here. For them, they had no purpose here, and they did not wish to die.  
As one, they retreated into the portal, guided, pushed and prodded by the forces still defending the city.  
  
TK's grandfather stood there, in the middle of the road, right beside the magnificent Arch. He was holding an arm close to one side and, looking closely, TK could make out blood staining the side of his clothes. But he still looked tall, full of life, and he had his trademark Devil-may-care grin on his face. He was also holding what appeared to be a full sized machine gun under his arm. Startled somehow by this human standing where the others were running, the enemy digimon stopped slowly, and stared, incredulously, at the older human who smiled back at them.  
Time slowed down. In that moment of distraction soldiers checked their headlong advance, calming themselves down, turning to see what was going on. Every instant that this distraction brought was priceless, worth more than anything TK had ever bought before, but he felt a sinking sensation in his stomach, as suddenly he had a feeling of how this would turn out. Even as his desperate companions and soldiers turned and regrouped, horrific visions of what would come to pass flashed before his eyes, and he understood that it was too late to do something.  
Vive la France!!! Takeru's Grandfather screamed with a voice that carried across the grounds, echoing almost like a gunshot, and then he brought the barrel of the gun up. The recoil of the first shot might have dropped another man, but he was braced against a monument to the victories of the French, and braced against an indomitable will and spirit, and TK thought that perhaps nothing could have knocked that old man down. His hair seemed to gleam, almost blowing back the way it did when he was riding his beloved bike. And then the first shot rang out.  
The muzzle flashed. First once, then again, and then a hundred times, maybe even a thousand. Those digimon who had paused to watch him suddenly rocked back as their first ranks staggered as those bullets cut into them. Suddenly they began to scream, some in rage and some in pain and terror. Then they surged forward, an unstoppable tide of bodies, trampling toward the lone gunman, submerging the Frenchman in an ocean of death, until the sound of his gun faded away.  
And TK went insane.  
He charged, screaming, coming down from the side of the thrust, his staff swinging around him like a golden aura, a nimbus, protecting him from the blows of evil. But no evil digimon with a choice would confront that avenging angel. He was a figure out of legend, a being of chaos and death, shining with the glory of the sun. They were not prepared to face this creature, this harbinger of death in all his glory. And they fled as he came.  
Behind TK, MagnaAngemon charged forward, wings straining with the effort. It might have looked foolish for a moment, that reckless charge, but the angel was not about to let his partner fall while he could do a single thing to stop it. He soared into battle, chasing down those who looked prepared to attack his human partner, leaving blasts of digital data scattered all over the ground. More digimon fell back, not eager at all to come within the arc of his sword. He howled, a battlecry that could have stilled the hearts of any demon, and at its sound, the enemy wavered.  
Kari charged because it was TK at risk, and Angewomon floated next to her, keeping the digimon away from her partner with the blasts of silvery arrows that punched through enemy ranks almost effortlessly. They added their screams of rage to the sound.  
Next to them a squad of Royal Marines charged, because this was TK after all, the golden general who had led them through a battle that now resembled a scene from hell. They charged because he was charging, and with them they brought the death of their remaining bullets, and their own howls echoed through the streets. And the boy with them, the young digidestined from Warsaw charged as well, barely understanding what was happening, followed along, because they had been keeping him safe. And with him he carried the blue-and-silver banner of the IDEF.  
And, standing only a few meters away, Daniel Ollivander and European Legion London charged as well, because they could see the banner advancing, and, with their friends and allies advancing, they were determined to protect them. They were battered and tired and worn down, almost to stubble, but they were still digidestined, determined protectors of the world. They were not going to stand around while others died for them. And with them charged the remains of a German company, rifles cracking as they ducked and dived their way across the urban battlefield. From their center waved another IDEF banner, silver and blue glinting as the light sparkled off their weapons.   
On the other side, across from the enemy General Alexander and Catherine skidded to a halt, with Kiwimon right behind them, staring at the sudden scene unfolding. It took them only a moment to understand that the enemy had made a major penetration, but Alexander had seen problems like this before, in textbooks if not in the field. The enemy had forced units through the gap, and now they were strung out, spread out as they had charged forward. Where once the IDEF had been almost split apart, now it seemed ready to envelop the enemy. The only problem would be in inspiring the soldiers, who were both exhausted and beaten, into making the charge.  
And then the banners on the other side of the horde started to move.  
What the hell are you waiting for? General Alexander thundered at the nearest man he could see. Are you going to make them do all the work?  
At that moment, the great silver bulk of Shakkuomon began to move down from that side, advancing on the formidable enemy with a small group of digimon and humans rallying around his gigantic floating feet. One of them could be seen wielding a silver sword in dizzying swoops.  
In the distance Catherine could see Colonel Galvanay, now covered in grime. He had his mouth open and was yelling something, but it was inaudible over the din of battle. But his message was unmistakable, and those soldiers around him began to move, slowly at first, and then faster and faster until, like an avalanche, they had driven their army before them and bitten deep into the enemy horde. Along with them came digidestined, some caught in the sudden surge of battle, others racing ahead of their own troops with their digimon leading the way. The battle, once chaotic, was suddenly worse, a blind melee as forces from both sides rushed down on the suddenly entrapped horde.  
TK could see almost nothing. One moment there was MagnaAngemon and Kari and Angewomon behind him, the next they were gone in a surge of enemy digimon that covered his view. The next the surge parted under the steady, unremitting blows of his staff and a new vision emerged, soldiers using everything from their bayonets and the stocks of their rifles to their last remaining bullets to hold the enemy from them. Then they were gone behind the shadow of an enemy Tyrannomon, and when he passed beyond that massive digimon he saw Deltamon's three heads belching out fire at any digimon generally unlucky enough to look in their direction. Behind him there was a constant storm of fire and light as the rest of the London team kept pushing the enemy farther and farther back. Then they too disappeared into the storm, and their place was taken by images of more soldiers and children, fighting back to back, shoulder to shoulder, as the battle raged around them, circling them in death and sharp claws, but failing to overcome them. Sora emerged for a moment at the corner of his vision, swinging a baseball bat she had found with a viciousness and strength that had made her a terror on the tennis court, her eyes focused with intense concentration as she tried to stay between her enemies and the other children. Then all was gone into the swirl again.  
Suddenly there was freedom from the crush, like a blast of sunlight and fresh air as the world came back into normal focus. There was the panting figure of Cody, holding his sword in one hand, and grinning widely at TK, and the huge metal form of Shakkuomon, head twisting back and forward rapidly, raking red eye beams over his enemies so fast it almost gave TK a neck cramp. TK looked back over his shoulder and suddenly realized that he had carved a path straight through, cutting the enemy advance in half, and that his followers were carving their own path further and further into what had once been an insurmountable darkness.  
How's it going TK? Cody asked, still grinning.  
Not bad. Now stop talking and start fighting. TK turned back into the battle.  
I better. Cody shook his head. The way you're going there's not going to be much left.  
Better for us. Someone, an adult TK did not know, yelled, and then he charged forward, screaming, holding a broken pipe as a weapon. TK looked up and down suddenly, trying to figure out how the battle was going, and noticed, for some reason, that the pipers had picked back up again. The swirl of bagpipes seemed, for some strange reason, appropriate to this choice of venues, and he spared a moment to give a quick salute, unseen but heartfelt, to the pipers. Then he turned, shouldered his staff and moved back into the battle.  
  
THAT'S NOT POSSIBLE! Izzy yelled as he came out of his comatose state. His scream managed to wake up an exhausted Ken who had been collapsed next to him in the cold comfort of ImperialDramon's back.  
What is it? Tai had not really been sleeping well, and Izzy's exclamation woke him up immediately. What's wrong?  
I'll tell you when we get to Paris. It's too late to do anything about it now. Izzy shook his head. Too late indeed.  
  
Have they gone? The voice was weak, tired. TK clutched his grandfather's hand, his elder face covered in lines and wrinkles that TK had not noticed earlier. He was drawn and sallow, and his beloved biker jacket was covered in blood. His own blood. Still braced against the arch his knees were buckling, but he had wedged himself too tightly to fall down.  
You beat them. TK could only whisper and smile once, shallowly, but not without feeling.  
And France? The older man's eyes bulged open, as he took yet another bone-rattling gasp of air. Those standing there could see the importance of the question in his now-faded eyes.  
She still stands. You have helped save her. Colonel Galvanay was there, and he laid a hand on the older man. You will be remembered as a hero.  
Always remember TK His voice drew out for a moment, and he managed to give a weak smile, and TK understood. Then he stared at the sky for a moment. His next words came out slow, but with the force and perseverance of a young, healthy man. I died on my feet.  
And he did.  
  
  
The battle had changed. Everyone recognized it. Had the IDEF kept fleeing, had humans and digimon continued to retreat the forces of darkness would have driven them back into destruction by now, or would have had forced them into desperate last stands. But they had not. TK's charge, the sudden rush of men and digimon supporting them had thrown doubt into the faces and hearts of the enemy. Their enemies seemed invincible, they simply would not lay down and die. And now they were coming back for more.  
Now they charged forward, filled with a new spirit, and their second wind. Digimon slashed through enemy ranks like they were made out of tinfoil, and their human allies blasted through the enemy with any weapon they could find. The Dark digimon were exhausted as well, they had been fighting all day, fighting all the time, and they could feel exhaustion settling in for them too. Nobody had much strength left for fighting, but the sudden infusion of willpower had given the IDEF a mad power that their opponents could no longer rival. They disintegrated, first one by one, then by the hundreds, then the thousands as more and more digimon poured down into the gap, as more humans closed to suicidally close ranges and the pounding began all over again. Fistfights had even broken out in the battlefield as dozens of humans and digimon danced around each other.  
Sora, now wielding a staff carrying an IDEF flag instead of a baseball bat, whirled like a mad dervish, sending enemy digimon flying from her in a huge arc. She was standing in the middle of a mostly cleared square, but her presence in the battle was lending the mighty Garudamon more strength. Everywhere she struck enemy digimon reeled back from her, only to be set upon by others, others with their passionate strength returned to them. She felt oddly like laughing, laughing in the face of death, as the surge of strength broke through them all.  
They drove the enemy backwards. Meter after meter, inch by inch, until at last they had pushed their opponents through the streets of the city, past malfunctioning streetlights, through a darkness made more frightful then any nightmare by the continuing clash of combat. And slowly, pushed beyond their limits, the enemy retreated before humans and digimon working together nearly flawlessly, always moving forward, their enemy always moving back. There were still screams, pitched battles, desperate last stands. There were still deaths; men, women and digimon collapsing where they stood, blood that coated the streets, a faint sheen of data covering the walls. But the course of the battle was already set.  
When the clouds of morning finally broke the first convoy of reinforcements from America arrived, hundreds of digimon and digidestined as well as fully equipped soldiers. But there was little left for them to do, except for one bearer of bad news.  
  
He what? TK exclaimed.  
Khartan intends to use his abilities to launch a first strike on Citadel, wherever that is. Apparently it's close enough to reach from here, even if they cannot open a gate directly. It's defended normally, so they can't reach it through a standard gate. Izzy looked pale and disturbed for once.  
But you can't just open a gate. Patamon soared over TK's shoulder and landed on his head. They're natural occurrences, right?  
That gate singularity that Utopia was constructing. That's what he wants to use, right? It doesn't need a pre-existing gate. Ken mused quietly.  
Yes, but it doesn't work quite like that. Izzy fixed them all with a desperate look. If you think of it, all these parallel universes are floating in some sort of void. It's like we're all boats in the ocean.  
We've been there before. TK returned shortly. Khartan sent us there on the first day that this all started.  
Yes. Exactly. The Digital World is close enough to our universe that they touch at multiple points, but the path between here and Citadel is much longer. Khartan would need to enter the void to reach Citadel, but he can't create his own gate there.  
Why not? Tai asked.   
When you open a gate, you bring a bit of the world you left into it. Each world can have different laws of physics, but some concepts remain the same. The surge created by opening a gate by yourself, the energy draw would change the laws of physics in this world probably just enough to destabilize the singularity. That happens, and you can kiss the world, and Khartan, goodbye. Izzy did not look particularly worried about that.  
So he has to go through an existing gate. Tentomon did not seem surprised. And he can't use the singularity because it is only one way.  
Izzy took a deep breath to calm himself. But there's a side effect of using the void to do this. Inside the void, the laws of physics are broken. There's normally not any matter in there, and what enters stays there in the same form it entered in. The void is unchanging, eternally.  
Those bodies we saw in Utopia's headquarters, those must have been people they sent through into the void. They couldn't handle the shock and they froze. Tai exclaimed.  
Probably. But there's no gravity inside the void. Izzy added grimly. That's where the problem starts.  
Oh hell, I think I see where you're going with this. Ken stared off into the distance as if he was thinking furiously.  
So far I haven't seen a road sign yet. Matt complained.  
Okay, do you know anything about black holes? Izzy asked.  
No, not really.  
The short and simple version is this. Izzy looked around in vain for something to draw on. A black hole has enough gravity to warp space-time. If you think of space-time as a flat surface that light roles across, sort of like a puck in an ice rink, then a black hole creates a dip that the light gets stuck in. That's why they're black. There's a point after which not even light can escape from the black hole. That boundary is called the event horizon.  
I saw that movie. Davis whispered light-heartedly.  
But in the void, there is no gravity. There is no warping of space, no event horizon. The singularity is naked, with nothing to contain it, a ball of almost solid photonic matter sitting in the middle of space. The only thing that keeps it intact is that there's no change in the void.  
But when it crosses over into normal space Ken murmured.  
Exactly. At the very moment the singularity bridges the gap, the moment it enters the other universe, it will not have bent space-time around it. It won't even be a singularity for that millionth of a second. It will just be a lot of light compressed into a small ball. And then it explodes.  
A one kiloton bomb. Ken sounded horrified.  
How big is that in real terms? Tai asked, quickly sizing up the looks of horror on the faces of both of the geniuses.  
Let's see. Izzy began to scratch imaginary numbers on a piece of wall with Ken murmuring in his ear. For a few minutes all they could understand was a constant exchange of numbers and figures as the two worked at the different sides of the equation, throwing facts and figures at each other.  
Our best guess, modified by angular momentum transfer and the collapse of the singularity in on itself, looks like a bulk release of about two times ten to the fifteenth power in terms of tons of TNT. Just for comparison purposes Izzy thought for a moment. It's about a hundred billion times larger than the bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki.  
There was a moment of profound and absolute silence.  
You're kidding me. TK spoke after a moment.  
Not really. That thing gets through, and it could be all she wrote. Izzy sighed again and stared at where he had written his figures as if they were somehow to blame for this.  
So then we have to stop him before he gets to the void. Gatomon was insistent about that. Do we know where he's going to do that?  
You need a special gate. Izzy looked suddenly very tired. One that once went somewhere, but now goes nowhere to enter the void. A gate that was blocked.  
But where would you get that? Kari asked. There aren't many gates leading nowhere.  
Can't you think of one? Izzy's face flinched slightly, the corner of his mouth twitching. Not even one blocked gate?  
Oh crap. Ken whispered quietly.  
BlackWarGreymon sealed the Tokyo gate! TK slammed a fist into a wall.  
Uh, guys. Michael suddenly stuck his head into the door of the new command room. You might want to see this.  
  
This if Fuji Television, broadcasting right now from an undisclosed location in Japan. Right now we're the last free broadcasting network left around, thanks to some quick hacking into the computer systems, but I don't know how much longer we can keep broadcasting. Mr. Ishida's face was drawn, lined with worry. You see, as of five hours ago, the government of Japan was toppled by a large-scale conspiracy. As Japan has done little to prepare for the attacks that are now coming all over the world, the political scene has been incredibly confused for the past several days. In order to bolster the defense of Japan, the Japanese government has officially incorporated the structure of the Utopia Corporation, whose arms manufacturing division has stored on Japan a large amount of military equipment.  
Unfortunately we must report that this is not the entire story. Utopia is working with those forces that have unleashed both attacks on New York and Paris. Although we do not have broadcastable evidence, we have many different eyewitness reports agreeing on this issue. Furthermore we have become aware that they were the ones who forced this measure through the Diet, and who have acted to secure their political power through unconstitutional means. Those opposing the change in power have been imprisoned or executed, and armed Utopia Corporation personnel are patrolling the streets of Tokyo to break up any sign of protest. Even as we speak forces consisting of foreign and native troops, as well as dark digimon are moving into Tokyo and other major Metropolitan areas in the hopes of taking the country firmly into their control.  
We don't know how much longer we can keep broadcasting. Troops from all over Japan are moving, intending to shut us down and keep us from getting this out. We'll evade them while we can, but we don't know what their final goal is. For some reason they seem to be preparing for something, but we are so far unable to decide what it is. We only know one thing, whatever they want, it's big. They've made alliances with pure evil to get this started, and we don't know when they'll stop. So if any of you want a world left when this is over, send us any help you can as soon as possible.  
From Japan, this is Fuji Broadcasting, signing off.  
  
  
This isn't the same as helping out an ally. General Hayes pointed out, chewing on a pen. He wanted a cigarette, but he had kicked the habit years ago, and he was not carrying any. What he really wanted was someone to come along and relieve him of the sudden, pressing responsibility of being senior American officer on the scene. You're talking about moving halfway across the world, engaging and invading a country that has so far been out ally based on a single report.  
It's not a false report. Japan's reaction proclaims this. Colonel Galvanay slammed his fist into the desk. Can we truly sit here and tolerate this evil in our world?  
Do we have a choice? None of our governments is in the position to declare war, even once, even a small war. The decision is out of our hands. General Alexander pointed out.  
We will not tolerate evil, whatever its stripe. Colonel MacLeod gave a gently pointed reminder.  
This isn't us. We work for the government. They don't work for us. It won't help anybody if we end up becoming tyrants ourselves to prevent tyranny elsewhere. Hayes responded.  
I feel much less reasonable. Sergev narrowed his own eyes dangerously. Russian dead lie out there, having died in the defense of the city of Paris. They have fallen fighting invaders from another world. We will not allow those invaders to go unpunished.  
You cannot go to war without the support of your nation. And your nation is in now position to support anyone. Alexander replied sadly. None of us are truly ready for this.  
But the point remains the same. General Hayes turned toward a window. Can we afford not to go?  
The children are going. MacLeod reminded them gently. I have no doubts about that. They're just kids, but they fought as bravely as hardened veterans. They have risen from a hundred nations to take a stand. They saved the cities of Paris and New York. Without them all our fancy fighting material and tactics would have been about as useful as scrap iron. We owe them a debt.  
Can we live with ourselves should we send them out to die alone? Galvanay wondered.  
Hayes felt a smile quirk across his lips, and he turned to the sound of footsteps as a group of tired, bedraggled, but still determined children entered the large Versailles stateroom they were discussing in. His eyes took in the children there, not children anymore, men and women who had earned their maturity over the bodies of their fallen comrades. He took a look at the one called Tai, who had thrown himself ceaselessly into the breach in New York, striking again and again with a determination to save them all that had astounded his men. He had won their respect, all of their respects, by his dauntless courage and his skill in leadership. Beside him, whispering quietly with the long, black-haired boy was the other, the blond kid who the men in Paris had reported fighting like a demon. A man who, not yet old enough to shave, had already demonstrated the tactical and strategical skill necessary to save a city, and perhaps to win a war. He thought of what they had already risked, and smiled. A countryman of mine once promised to make the world safe for democracy. I do not intend to forgo on that promise.  
As a representative of the French Republic I, Colonel Jacques Galvanay do, on behalf of the French Foreign Legion and the Armed Forces of France, declare my intent to uphold our debt of honor. We will stand firm and win through, whatever the cost.  
Once my country had leaders that promised a shining new era, who gave us a dream of a better world, a world of peace and plenty. Sergev smiled himself, staring at the ceiling. Even today that dream lives on. Enough people have betrayed it for their own personal gain. I will not join myself to their ranks.  
General Alexander nodded at all three of those who had spoken. As senior officer present of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, I, General Sir Thomas Alexander of Her Majesty's Armed Forces do, under the discretion granted to me as a field officer under the rules of military conduct and the NATO charter, accept responsibility totally and independently for the acts that I am about to set in motion. A NATO country has been attacked by a foreign power. Although we have beaten back the attack, I am choosing to take this moment to pursue the beaten attackers back to their home base, a country that has become hostile to us. I will, by any means necessary, deprive that power of their unlawful tyranny and restore the properly elected government of said nation, even if that means commitment of force of arms.  
What's going on? Ken Ichijouji blinked.  
Ladies and Gentleman, as of right now the NATO High Command, acting in concert with the authorities of the InterDimenional Expeditionary Force, are initiating an operation code-named Normandy.  
Tai asked.  
A part of France. It's where the Normans came from when they invaded England. Izzy explained quickly. It's also where the allies invaded Europe during World War II.  
Which is why we've given that name to the mission. General Alexander pointed to a map of the world that was lying on the table. We're planning the largest amphibious invasion in history, coordinating armies from a dozen countries in an all out assault to take back Tokyo by any means, and prevent these forces from gaining a foothold in our world.  
We'll catch political hell from it. General Hayes pointed out, grinning. Unless we win of course.  
You don't have to do this. TK complained.  
We're not about to let you go wandering off on your own. MacLeod pointed at them accusingly. Who knows what kind of trouble you'll get into. More to the point, what we've seen so far indicates that our entire species may be at risk. If we have a chance to stop them, we should. No matter the cost.  
What's the plan? TK raised an eyebrow.  
we don't know yet. General Alexander admitted, laughing nervously.  
What do you mean? Izzy exclaimed.  
You see, command is going to be crazy in all of this. So we thought that we would trust operational command to someone who knows how digimon fight, what they do, and what we can expect from them. Also, we wished to have a commander from the unit giving the most to this campaign, and with the greatest familiarity with the local territory possible. Plus, someone who enjoys the confidence of the general staff. And that left us only with one option.  
You mean Kari grinned suddenly, resisting the urge to break out laughing at the sudden expression in TK's eyes.  
We do. General Alexander handed a folder into the blond man's unresisting hand. Welcome to Supreme Command of Operation Normandy, Takeru Takaishi.  


  
**T minus Ninety-Eight Hours.  
**

  
  
  
  



	23. A Marshalling of Hosts

Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon. This is a work by a fan, purely for the enjoyment of other fans. Digimon is a licensed product of Toei animation, Saban Corporation and Fox.  
A/N: I warned you that there would be a lot of violence in this part of the saga. More of it is on the way.  
  
**

Episode XLVII  
A Marshalling of Hosts  
_  
_

**  
Do your duty in all things. You cannot do more, you should never wish to do less.  
Robert E. Lee  
  
What is to give light must endure the burning.  
Eleanor Roosevelt  
**  
  
T minus Ninety hours  
** The Freedom Express came rumbling over Rome in the early hours of the morning, an endless cacophony of sound and noise and roaring fury. Some rushed outside, to look up in the sky as it passed overhead, an unstoppable expression of might. Children would later tell to their grandchildren how they had come outside and watched and seen that great expression of the indomitable will of humankind, of their great spirit, rumble overhead on their rendezvous with destiny. Most of them saw nothing, but many were lucky enough to see the unbroken chains of lights, stretching from horizon to horizon, a shining beacon in the night. And it brought hope in its wake.  
  
The command squad was hushed. Generals Alexander, Hayes and Sergev as well as Colonels Galvanay and MacLeod sat in hushed consultation. On the other side were the IDEF officers; Tai, who had already been assigned an elite unit to lead into battle, much to his dismay; Matt as calm as ever; Izzy, promoted to intelligence officer; Sora, who had reluctantly accepted command of the airborne units; Joe, who was running the digimon support units; Davis and Ken, inseparable and valuable for their leadership skills; Willis and Catherine organizers of a dozen nations each; and of TK and Kari, the co-commanders of this particular invasion. They had forgone the usual task of riding their digimon. In fact, nobody was riding their digimon, there was not a single human out there with their flying digimon partners. Every digidestined was crammed into the huge body of airplanes that had been requisitioned from de Gaulle airport, from Heathrow and from Frankfurt and everywhere else that planes could be found.  
Tai had never appreciated until this point, had never even thought about, the tremendous amount of munitions needed to make modern war. As General Alexander explained, there was a reason why armies did not travel to the battlefield in airplanes, why they rode on ships still. No plane in existence could have hauled the massive amount of supplies needed to let an army fight for even a single day. Every day a soldier who faced combat and the ten or so support troops behind them required food, medicine, clothing supplies as their own was torn beyond simple repair. Guns and tanks required parts to repair them, complicated electronics required complicated tools, vehicles required fuel and motor oil and a million other small necessities.   
But the planners who had discovered this had not counted on having something bigger and more powerful than modern airplanes. The barges on which they had loaded two storehouses of NATO munitions and field supplies were being towed along at a speed approaching the speed of sound, towed jointly by MegaKabuterimon, Garudamon and ImperialDramon. Behind them smaller loads, but still greater than any pair of giant trucks could carry were being hauled by Silphymon, WarGreymon, MetalGarurumon, and Lilymon. Alongside them crates were hauled through the air in a cloud of pink and purple energies as Angewomon and MagnaAngemon exerted their considerable mental powers. Other digimon from the IDEF hauled their own share.  
Airspaces opened up ahead of them. They were escorted by every fighter that could still take to the air, every plane that could still totter into the sky. Countries that might have objected to their passage previously were unwilling to challenge these ready soldiers as they joined the long route to battle. Nobody was willing to start another war, with the chaos of the day still hovering overhead. And all night, the convoy continued onward.  
  
Where are we headed? Tai asked, shivering. He was tired and hungry and cold because the air conditioning was on full blast, but he did not dare turn it off, because it was all that was keeping him awake. That and three glasses of Coke that he had downed all at once. It might have all been empty calories, but he needed anything he could get.  
From here we cross the Mediterranean, and let those planes that need to refuel do so at Cairo. It's a good stopping point. Then we cross the Middle East, with another stopover at our forward air bases in Saudi Arabia. General Hayes pointed at various points across the maps. From there we fly straight to India and see if we can refuel at New Delhi before cutting across southern China.  
Will they let us through? General Alexander asked quietly.  
They should. We just heard from Egypt. They'll even give us free fuel. Colonel MacLeod shrugged.  
What about Libya? Hayes asked worriedly.  
Not a problem. Sergev smiled. They might risk war with your country, but they will not do so with this much headed toward them. Nor will they risk simultaneous conflict with my country. They will let us pass.  
The Middle East is quiet? Hayes asked disbelievingly.   
We threatened to blow them all apart if they started interfering and they shut up pretty quickly. Besides, the Earth is under attack by foreign beings from another dimension. It kind of made them shut up out of pure shock. MacLeod grinned.  
I never thought I would live to see that. Izzy replied.  
Sheesh. They've been fighting for what, forever? Davis scratched his head. Ken slipped a little on his side. The black-haired digidestined had been drifting in and out of sleep all through the flight, and the way the other cabin lights were off only added to that effect. They had appropriated a first class segment of a 747-400 that was currently screaming its way southward, and were clustered around a set of maps, trying to stay awake.  
So where are we headed in the end? TK asked.  
We have three choices really. We either use Taiwan, Korea, or we use China's coastline next to Japan. The problem is that neither of those countries has decided to play ball with us yet, so we're a little stuck until they agree to help us. Alexander pointed out both spots on the map.  
Will they help us? Matt asked.  
They should. It's in their own self-interest. A hostile Japan can benefit neither party involved. I just hope that they're satisfied with a cessation in the hostilities in the area. The last thing we need is for this to kick off an invasion of Taiwan.  
How many times are we going to go back and forth? Izzy asked after a moment.  
Given our best window of opportunity, a lot. I think that we can fit in three more flights to our assembly point from Europe. The next flight will carry those soldiers who came late from Germany and Italy and Spain, as well as reinforcements for the French and British expeditions. The next flights will carry mostly supplies I think. The Russians are already setting up to stage anything they've got out of Vladisvostok and their bases in Kamchatka. They've ordered their Pacific Fleet to sea, so we'll get support there.  
How did that happen so fast? Izzy asked General Sergev.  
The Russian General coughed into one hand. We made things simpler. We didn't mention this to the government.  
That's going to make your life interesting in the future. Hayes laughed.  
Izzy asked suddenly.  
A wild card. Chances are that North Korea will go with China on this one. South Korea will be a bit more difficult to call. They won't help us with anything if they feel that they can avoid conflict altogether. They really don't want to put their armed forces in danger.  
And our governments are letting us get away with this? Willis shook his head.  
They're still trying to put themselves back together. It hasn't been an easy few days for them either, and they're still shocked. The problem is that if we wait long enough for them to put themselves back together, our enemies will be dug in, big time. And, if what your psychic friends suspect is true, we're going to be up to our necks in bad guys by them. Hayes shook his head again and sighed a weary sigh.  
Well, we're not getting anything done here, it's time to get some sleep anyway. We all need it. We'll reconvene later. Sergev checked his watch.  
  
**

T minus Eighty-One Hours  


** You might want to wake up for this commander. Someone prodded TK a few times and he rose unsteadily, stretching as he climbed his way out of the depths of unconsciousness.  
Wha' is it? He asked, taking a moment even in this state to thank Izzy and Gennai's instant translation program. General Alexander was hovering over him grinning.  
You've got friends in high places chief. He handed a piece of paper to TK which felt like it was still hot from the plane's improvised fax machine. It had a single message:  
  
_China will cooperate. Expect fighter escort from Indian border to Coastal Regions. Full military support to follow. Assistance from Taiwan and Korea also expected to be confirmed directly. Message Ends.  
_  
Where'd we get this? TK blinked, now fully awake.  
From an organization I had barely heard of called Helios Ascendant. Apparently, they've decided to come in on our side.  
Thanks Adam. TK smiled. You came through for us in the end.  
You know something about this? General Alexander asked, raising an eyebrow.  
Let's just say that I know something about the organization, and they're definitely on our side. I just never imagined that they would have the pull to do something like this. TK stared at the piece of paper for a moment and grinned. So, what does this do to us?  
We got another message from a General Liu Biao, who apparently had a run-in with your girlfriend on the Indian border back in the last crisis. Somehow he's been given command of the People's Liberation Army forces that are going to be assisting us.  
That is good news. Do we know what they're sending out way? TK felt the strength entering his limbs again. He was about to get into another hopeless battle, but this time he would have a lot more help.  
Only that Admiral Wu and the People's Liberation Army Navy has already put to sea. The PLAN doesn't really have a lot of heavy firepower, but at least they're solid. They're steaming as hard as they can toward Japan.  
Any word on the rest of Trafalgar? TK asked.  
Not yet, but have patience. It will come. Eventually.  
  
**

T minus Eighty Hours and Forty Minutes   


** Admiral David Kelliam, United States Navy and current Commander, United States Seventh Fleet, slammed one hand down on the paper lying on the desk. What it claimed was preposterous, it was so impossible that it could hardly be believed. But at the same thing, so was everything else. For days now the crews of the ships of the 7th Fleet had stood, paralyzed, while their allies and brethren faced death and destruction on two continents. Unable to do anything, they had waited with baited breath, knowing that they were too far away to assist. When the seizure of Japan had happened they thanked their lucky stars that their last orders had sent them out of port, and out of the reaches of whatever political chaos was occurring on the mainland.  
They had known that things were bad, and not what they seemed. Air patrols had reported instrument failure close to the Japanese coast, and what was even worse was that they had seen dark non-human and non-airplane shapes flying alongside fighter planes, patrolling the now shadowed Japanese coast. Several times American pilots had been forced to flee at the approach of giant flying monsters.  
Now this telegram did not make a lot of sense anyway. It was not even an order, and Admiral Kelliam could rightfully protest sending his force into battle just on the suggestion of a fellow officer. But he truly had no superior officers at this moment and he knew it. Efforts to contact his commanding officers in Washington had left him with no response, and he wanted to do something to effect the world. If the army and the air force, or whatever was left of them, was going to pull some stupid, inane stunt like this, well, he might as well join in.  
What do you think? Admiral Ben Haverson was his second, and he was looking decidedly dour as he surveyed the message, but even he had grim determination etched into his face.  
I think it's about time we got to kick some ass around here. Kelliam threw down the message. Let's turn this bucket around.  
Moments later there was a shiver. CVN-74, USS _John C. Stennis_, followed by CV-63, USS _Kitty Hawk_, was headed north. Around her ships shifted formation, and, led by the recently re-commissioned USS _Missouri_, followed suit.  
  
**

T minus Seventy-Five Hours  


** After fifteen hours cooped up in planes, after fifteen hours of digimon constantly shifting through traffic patterns, they finally hit the ground running. Their numbers had swelled as soldiers and children from all nations joined up, sometimes swelling the ranks by hundreds at a time. And it all arrived with a bump. On the cold, hard tarmac near Pusan, in Korea, a steady stream of airplanes hit the ground. Five thousand digidestined and thousand of accompanying soldiers hit the ground in wave after wave.  
C'mon, move it, will you! Yolei was yelling as Silphymon helped her direct the dozens of Champion level digimon and digidestined who were being employed to unload the train that had just rolled in. It was probably the oddest train convoy in history, passing through what was still technically a war zone. In fact in just one day they had laid tracks connecting China, North Korea and South Korea in one continuous chain of unbroken rail. Crate after crate of Chinese ammunition and arms came off of the trains, along with another division of Chinese soldiers to unload it. They in turn were trooping off with their division's gear towards waiting ships of the Republic of Korea's Navy, a Navy that had been preparing to fight China for fifty years.  
Ken reflected with increasing optimism on the proceedings. Helios Ascendant had managed to put a miracle together in record time. In the face of annihilation at the hands of an army from another world, old differences had been set aside almost at once with some gentle prodding. New alliances had been formed. Pilots from the Israeli Air Force gingerly shook hands with their Egyptian adversaries. Indians and Pakistanis combined to move the troops faster and smoother.  
Two banners fluttered above the grounds. One was the blue and white of the United Nations, whose nations were all represented here. The other was the silver and blue of the IDEF, who was planning to do the bulk of the fighting.  
TK was sitting inside the auxiliary control room of the airfield, staring at a map of Japan. Around it the other generals were gathered. Despite his nominal command of the operation, TK was leaving the planning up to others, especially General Alexander who had turned out to have a gift for it. He and Kari and Tai and Davis mostly sat there and answered questions about the capabilities of their digimon, about what they could do to the enemy and what the enemy could do to them. Around them the battle plan was coming together.  
  
It's still bothering you, isn't it? Kari asked Ken.  
Ken nodded, standing and staring as if he was trying to look through a huge stack of crates. He had been slightly spaced out all day, and it was not simply the stress of the operation. He had been this way ever since opening the gate to the Dark Ocean.  
You can't feel that it's that bad, do you? Kari asked. I mean, it's not like you've been consumed by darkness or anything, is it?  
Ken shook his head. It's worse. A lot worse.  
Tell me. Kari ordered, uncharacteristically decisive.  
The last time, I think the Monarch of the Dark Ocean tried to blunt my advance, tried to keep me from going in there. This time he didn't. Ken looked nervous.  
You think he was happy to get all those digimon? Kari suggested.  
Nothing so easy. Ken replied negatively. He's up to something. He's planning something, and it's taken his interest away from his own realm. Even my penetrating the barrier did not seem to phase him. He's up to something big, whatever it is.  
Could you get any hints? Kari asked, concerned.  
All I know is that he wishes to combine the power of the Light with that of the Darkness. You may be the key to that. Whatever he's up to involves us, I'm sure of it. What else it involves, I don't know.  
Just what we need. Kari murmured. Something else to worry about.  
  
**

Sixty-Five Hours Until Operation Normandy  


** Something's coming through. Jim reported suddenly, holding the earpiece to his head. I think it's from the others.  
Hiroaki Ishida looked up from the book he had been reading. They were hiding out in one of the Helios safehouses that Hideo Ishiguro was reasonably certain their enemies did not know anything about. It had been dull and grating, the constant tension of possibly being discovered warring with the possibility of living out the rest of their life in dull, constrictive boredom. They were crammed into the tiny quarters already, and snapping contests had ensured any number of times, but the families of the digidestined that had still been in Tokyo were safe.  
Chikara Hida looked up from where had been re-reading _Five Rings_ on the other side of the narrow living room. Are they all right?  
People immediately began to gather around. Nobody had heard anything since the reports of massive battles being fought on two other continents except for occasional reports of continuing chaos. Now tense parents erupted in a storm around the radio set.  
Jim shouted after a moment. All of our kids are safe!  
There was a collective sigh of relief, and not a few adults broke out into tears at the news, shedding built-up tension in a storm. Jun let out an impromptu cheer, and then covered her mouth in embarrassment.   
A lot of other kids lost their lives though. Jim's next announcement cast a pall over the sudden optimism. And a lot of good people with them.  
What are they doing now? Ken's mother asked nervously, twisting at a scarf with both hands.  
They need our help. Jim announced after a few moments.  
To do what? Chikara asked, eyes narrow.  
Invade Japan.  
  
**

Sixty Hours Until Operation Normandy  


** It's really coming together this time. Willis nodded and checked another box off on his portable clipboard. I think I've actually figured out where everybody is.  
Mimi asked, sounding annoyed. I've only found half of my people. Where are they hiding? They both were carrying clipboards around, listing the number of digidestined that they had already assigned to units.  
I think the key is to ask your digimon. Terriermon and Lopmon play with anyone...and anything...that they find. So they know everybody. Digimon are good at finding other digimon.   
That's a good idea. Mimi took the pen out of her mouth and began to look around for Lilymon, darting off when she caught sight of the familiar wings helping hoist a tank off of a flatbed train car.  
So, how's it going? Cody had walked up silently from the other direction, carrying his sword across one shoulder.  
Crazy, insane, you know the drill. Willis sighed. We're trying to put five thousand digidestined together into one unit. It's going to have a few bumps.  
I suppose the army guys are having the same problem. Cody shrugged.  
Yeah, but we all know that it's the digidestined who are going to be doing most of the fighting. I don't even know how many of them are going to end up dying on the shores of Japan. Wilis stared at the corner of his clipboard and tried not to think about the horrid carnage that had covered the ground in New York.  
In the command bunker, things were not proceeding any more smoothly.  
How many? Tai asked.  
That's just a guess. TK shrugged uncomfortably. I really don't know for sure. But I think that we're talking about another hundred thousand enemy digimon waiting on the other side of any gate they manage to open. Which is damn bad news for us. Plus these are going to be combat veterans, not the losers that Khartan has been throwing at us so far. Worse, we'll probably run into the TITAN units on the island of Japan. I think we now know what they were being saved up for. And why they were being moved to Japan."  
A hundred thousand. Add to that all those megas that Khartan has been saving up. Izzy shook his head. Well, that explains why we really didn't see all that many of them overseas. They were all waiting here for the right moment to strike.  
Well, they're not getting away with it. Tai promised grimly.  
They will unless we get moving. We need a way to tip the balance back into our favor. Matt pointed out.  
And fast. Davis added. You know, we still have a trump card.  
We do? Tai asked. One that we haven't used yet.  
Well I have a trump card. Davis replied. TK, remember that crystal that Kari found in the ruins on Parsifal? It's an essence crystal right? Doesn't it have a lot of power? Couldn't we use that?  
TK frowned. I had forgotten about that. But it's probably a one use only sort of thing. We'll hold it in reserve.  
Davis nodded. Last ditch trick, right? I'll keep it close to hand.  
There was a quiet click as the door opened, and then Kari stuck her head into the room. I found him TK.  
You did? Good. TK smiled. I'm glad he made it.  
Sora.  
The man who stepped in was a middle aged balding man of generic Asian origins. Just by looking at him Izzy could distinguish nothing about him. The only thing unusual about him was the fact that he was wearing flowing black clothing that looked strangely out of place in the middle of this high-tech arsenal of mayhem.  
Who are you? Tai asked.  
The man made a long, formal bow in Tai's direction. I have long since foresworn my name, I am now known simply as the Ancient.  
The Ancient. You mean as in the story Adam and Master Ishiguro told us. Matt's attention snapped around immediately.  
I am. I am also young for this position. I will not see my hundredth birthday for another two years. Nevertheless, I am here to offer you my aid. The Ancient bowed again.  
You came to help us? Sora asked.  
I can help you little. I am the opener of the way. There is little else I can do. The old man bowed again, almost apologetically this time.  
How long will it take? TK asked before anyone could ask what was going on.  
A day. That is traditional. More than that I cannot say. The Ancient extended his serious gaze to both TK and Kari. More than that is up to you.  
I guess you better talk to the Generals Tai. TK shook his head. We're not going to be around much tomorrow.  
Is this important? Matt asked, already knowing the answer.  
You have no idea. Kari answered steadily. No idea at all.   


  
**Forty-Nine Hours until Operation Normandy  
**

  
I am known as the Ancient. The old man had seated himself on the corner of a desk, legs crossed beneath him. For the here and now I will serve as the opener of the way. Six of you have traveled this way before. Six of you have not. For all of you, this will be a journey of exploration. I do not know where it will lead you.  
Where are we going? Davis asked. None of the digidestined had been told much about what was going on, and they were all confused.  
You'll see when you get there. The ancient smiled. Now I want you to close your eyes and relax. The digidestined, twelve of them, reclined back on the comfortable beds that they had dragged up here.   
Davis shrugged and closed his eyes. The others followed suit.  
Davis opened his eyes and gasped. They were standing on a platform surrounded by a hazy white fog that was glowing so brightly that it almost hurt his eyes. Strangely enough there were doors in the fog, six of them, huge constructs of polished oak, with the grain outlined sharply enough that they could see every curve in it. Twelve digidestined and twelve digimon stood on the platform, staring at each other owlishly.  
So what do we do? Tai asked after a moment.  
I guess we each go in a door. In pairs apparently. TK shrugged after a moment.   
What's on the other side? Mimi asked, her voice trembling just a little.  
I don't know. Kari shrugged. It's different for everyone. But I suspect that we'll find out.  
Well, I guess we'll split up. I'll go in this door. Tai opened a door but there was nothing but blackness inside. For a moment he stared at it and then walked in, only to be totally swallowed up in the darkness. Matt shrugged, trying to give the others the impression that this was something that he did every day, and followed with Agumon and Gabumon.  
I guess this is my door. Ken walked in the nearest one with Wormmon on his shoulder, disappearing into similar blackness. Yolei and Hawkmon rushed afterward.  
Here I go. Joe held his breath as if he was about to plunge underwater and charged into another door with Gomamon cheering him on from his shoulder. Mimi shook her head and resolutely followed with Palmon trailing behind.  
Cody, Izzy, Armadillomon and Tentomon entered yet another door together.  
Davis looked around and rushed through another open door with Veemon behind him. Sora looked around at the two other digidestined, winked at them cheerily, and then strode through with Biyomon.  
See you on the other side? TK asked as he eyed the last door.  
Probably not. Kari replied.  
Let's go. Gatomon charged ahead. The others followed.  
  
Cody stared around. He was standing in the middle of a forest. Actually, it was more of a jungle, a huge mass of trees stretching away as far as the eye could see, towering above him like massive sentinels, watching the stars. Armadillomon was nowhere around.  
Hello? Is anybody out there? Cody clapped his hands around his mouth and called.  
Lonely place, isn't it? Ken dropped down out of a nearby tree branch.  
Cody exclaimed, jumping backward in shock.  
I didn't know you would end up here, although I probably would have if I had thought about it. Ken looked around.  
Where are we, and where's Armadillomon? Cody looked around again.  
I don't know. And I couldn't tell you if I did know. Ken shrugged.  
What do you mean? What are you hiding? Cody demanded.  
I'm not really here. Ken reached out to touch Cody, and Cody almost shrieked as Ken's hand passed right through him. I've already passed the first test. I have my own trial, but first I have to serve as the guide.  
What does that mean? Cody demanded.  
I have to guide you through your own problems. Through your own difficulties, through this forest.  
So how do we get out? Cody asked. I can't see any way out.  
You're looking in the wrong place. I think I know why you're here. You're afraid of being alone. Or of being ignored. One of the two. It's mostly the same here anyway. Ken looked around at the trees that roped them in. I guess that I can understand why. You do seem to be the youngest digidestined, as well as being one of the least experienced. Of course, looks are deceiving, aren't they?  
I just want to go home! Cody suddenly screamed to the uncaring trees. I'm eleven years old, but I just fought in the largest battle since World War II. And it wasn't fun. I watched people...people...people die... His voice trailed off in near hysteria. And ...nobody seems to listen...nobody seems to care...  
But everybody does care, you understand that, don't you?  
I guess so. But I don't understand why it has to be this way. Why I have to be alone here, and why we have to keep fighting and fighting and fighting. I'm tired of always trying to do what's right without anyone caring about me!  
But everybody does care about you. You have to realize that.  
I know. Deep inside I know. And I know that you're all there for me, it's just that life always seems to be so lonely. After all, I hardly have any friends my age, I hang out with you guys all the time. It just seems to be so endless, this fighting for justice and truth. I'm lost. I don't know where I'm going.  
Ken smiled at that, smiled gently at the younger child. Well, how would your grandfather handle this?  
Cody smiled at that too. He would tell me to start walking in the direction that I know is right.  
And he's usually correct. Ken shrugged.  
But how do I tell which way is right? Nobody's helping me. Cody complained.  
What am I, chopped liver?  
Cody apologized. But you know what I mean.  
In more ways than one. This is part of growing up. Even your grandfather isn't infallible you know. As an adult you will have to make your own choices, decide which way is right for yourself. It's part of the task that everybody goes through. There is no clear guide for people like us. Nobody comes up to us and tells us what is right and what is wrong. That's just the way things are.  
But I don't know how to make my own choices on this. Nobody tells me. Someone has to know...don't they?  
Ken greeted that only with silence.  
No, I guess they don't. Cody's voice was quiet, more contemplative. I guess we learn what's right and wrong by doing, and the more we pay attention to what we're doing, the more we learn. That's why my grandfather is so good at discovering what's right and wrong, because he paid attention during his life. And now I've gotten so used to his judgment, that I'm afraid of doing it by myself. After all, when I judged you I got it wrong. So I'm worried that there's a better way to fight this war, and I'm so worried that I can't take the right path.  
Do you know which path to take? Ken asked.  
No, but I can learn. And I think that this direction looks like a good place to start. Cody pointed forward.  
Might as well. Ken shrugged and followed. The two of them disappeared into the darkness.  
  
Is anybody out there? Davis shifted uncomfortably in the muck. His feet were touching something solid beneath him, but he was up to his waist in a deep bog, and completely clueless as to what he was supposed to do next. He could reach the nearest object, a slippery root, but he lacked the strength to pull himself along it. Everywhere around him the sight of dead and rotting trees dominated his vision, shrouded in mist and fog.   
I guess you could say that. Tai's head appeared in Davis' vision, followed by Tai himself, standing on solid ground near the nearest tree.  
Help me out of here! Davis reached out with his nearest hand.  
Sorry. No can do. Tai waved his hand and it passed straight through Davis's without even leaving a trace. I'm just here to give moral advice.  
Where am I? Davis looked around.  
Well, from what I understand, you're standing in the middle of a swamp.  
Davis asked sarcastically. I'm glad you noticed.  
Actually, I think you're standing in a landscape that reflects your inner fears, or something that you need to conquer in order to succeed. Any idea how you got into this place?  
I think I charged off into it. Davis admitted somewhat shamefaced.  
I know that feeling. Which is probably why I was sent to help you. You went charging off again and manage to get yourself stuck. Which you probably think is fortunate, because you didn't manage to get your teammates stuck at the same time. Right?  
Well, I guess I have been thinking like that lately. After all, I haven't been doing much leading, but we seem to get into less trouble. Davis attempted a shrug, a difficult maneuver while entrenched in the muck.   
That's nonsense. You've been leading less because you haven't really been in a position to lead, right? First you were in the wrong country, and then you were under me, and I'm not giving up my job for anything, am I?  
I guess not. Davis admitted. It's just that, well, I know that when I charge off into something I usually get all of us into trouble, and I was just trying to stay out of trouble. So I've been staying out of the way more and more. I guess it's just added up. I don't know if I'm a good leader, so I get more and more uncertain.  
That's the way it usually works. Tai sighed. It's probably why we change leaders so much. Whenever someone knows what to do, they take charge. You have one of the most important qualities, you make decisions fast, but you're learning to make them more carefully. In the heat of battle, you need to know what to do, and you need to know it now. But sometimes you have to think a bit more.  
Davis responded. And when I started to learn that, I guess I lost confidence in myself. It's hard to keep confident when you have to keep thinking about if what you're doing is wrong. Man, I'm just tired of that.  
So, you're afraid that if you have too much confidence, you'll be a bad leader. But if you have too little confidence, you're also a bad leader. Sounds like you need to find a good balancing point.  
Yeah. Like you. How do you do that? Davis asked plaintively.  
By getting it wrong a lot. You have to start somewhere and get moving to do it. Then you have to keep from shooting yourself in the foot while you do it. Basically, it's trial and error. Tai shrugged. I did my own share of screwing up, and of being too afraid of danger to advance. I'm afraid it might be up to you to figure out where your balance point lies.  
How do I do that?  
Well, you might start by pulling yourself out of that muck.  
That's what I've been trying to do. Davis complained.  
No, what you've been doing is sitting around because you screwed up and were now too busy feeling worried and sorry for yourself to do anything. Tai snapped. Everyone does it, but everyone has to get there way out of it themself. The important thing isn't falling down. It's getting back up. And it's time you learned how to do it for yourself.  
Davis took a deep breath and then reached up, barely managing to grab onto a branch, and began to pull himself up.  
  
It took Kari a few moments to find Yolei, even though she knew the place well. She finally found the lavender haired girl curled up under the stairway in their Middle School, trying her best to stay out of sight. Through the hazy, almost radiant vision of her spiritual form, Yolei looked miserable. The girl was curled up in a fetal position with her arms wrapped around her knees, and the sound of soft tear permeated the air.  
There you are. Kari announced finally, staring down at the girl.  
Yolei's head jerked up. Shhh! Stay quiet, they'll hear you.....you're...glowing.  
Am I? Kari asked, shaking her head. She snapped her fingers and was consciously aware of the light around her dimming, and something more like normal vision returning. I hate it when that happens.  
Yolei stared at her for a moment.  
I guess I should tell you what's going on. I'm here to guide you through your trials. I'm supposed to help you on your way. I'm not here so I can't physically help you, but I can certainly give you advice.  
Yolei stared at her in incomprehension. Kari smiled just a little.  
So what are you doing hiding behind the stairs? She asked.  
Some sudden urgency returned to Yolei's face. Shhh!!! Quiet, they'll hear you.  
Who's they? Kari asked curiously.  
You know...them.  
Oh, you mean everybody? What's wrong if they hear you?  
I don't want them to find me. I want to fit in. I don't want to stand out. Yolei closed her eyes. I never fit in.  
Not even with us? Kari asked.  
Not even with you. Yolei confirmed.  
Why not? Kari sat down next to the girl.  
Because I'm loud, and I don't always pay attention, and I just don't want to fight when we need to and...and...everything!  
But everyone else fits in? Kari persisted.  
Yolei screamed.  
But no matter how loud you get, you can never get as loud as Matt and Tai fighting. And there are days when Izzy doesn't even pay attention to whether or not he's wearing clothes. And Joe will walk an extra mile to avoid a fight. I don't think you can claim that anything there separates you from the rest of the group.  
But that's just who they are! Yolei protested. But it's not the same with me...with me it's...  
Who you are. Kari inserted into the brief gap in Yolei's conversation. We've gotten used to it. If you stopped, we would wonder what was wrong with you.  
And at school, I'm always so loud... Yolei tried to switch tracks.  
But at home, everyone is loud, so you fit in there. People really don't care about what you do half as much as you think they do.. Lots of people at school are loud, and you happen to be one of them. It's nothing bad. Besides, what's the big deal?  
People won't like me if I'm loud. Yolei's voice was starting to change, starting to become more thoughtful.  
But the kind of people who will hate you if you're loud don't strike me as the kind of people you want as friends anyway. And there are plenty of people who are willing to put up with you, even if you're loud. And who are willing to be your friends too. So you stand out just a bit. It's who you are.  
It's who I am. Yolei repeated.  
Do you know who you are? Kari asked.  
Yolei smiled suddenly and stood up. I am me! She screamed.  
And everything dissolved into whiteness.  
  
I hope this doesn't mean that you're frightened of missing a sale or something. Matt remarked looking around. It appeared to him that he was in the middle of the largest mall on earth, a never-ending morass of stores and displays and bargains that continued on as far as the eye could see.  
No, it's just that...well...I don't think I can get out. Mimi looked around.  
Can't you just use the door? Matt asked.  
Do you see one? Mimi retorted sharply.  
Matt looked around for a moment, and then had to admit that he saw nothing that even looked remotely like a door. In fact, it just appeared that this department store that they were in continued on forever in a cascade of pastel colors.  
I just can't get out. Mimi slammed a frustrated fist down on a nearby countertop, nearly breaking it.  
Why not? Matt realized belatedly that he was probably not doing a good job of being an advisor, but he was pretty new to this stuff himself. It probably would have helped if someone had bothered to give him a manual on all of this, but it appeared that he was having to improvise. Well, improvisation was what he did best.  
Because this is my life, and there's not much of a way out of it.  
What do you mean?  
Everything I've ever built in my life, everything I've built my life around has no meaning. I mean...look at this! Mimi grabbed a handful of designer blouses and held them up, shaking them in Matt's face. It's all just garbage when you come down to it, made by slave labor in some strange country. It has no value. And every time that something of value has come along, I've ignored it. I'm trapped in a garbage dump here, and there's no way out.  
Don't believe it for a second. Matt responded promptly.  
That brought up Mimi short, as if he had slapped her.   
I said I don't believe it. Matt yawned. He carefully measured his indifference, realizing that it might be better than trying to remonstrate the emotional girl.  
Why not? Mimi asked, curiously.  
Because you spent half a year in the digital world when you were ten. Matt replied. I don't see a shred of evidence in this store of that. Let's face it Mimi, even though I'm dense sometimes, I can see that you changed during that time, and I don't believe that, if this is your life, there's nothing about that here. It must have made a big difference in your life, so why isn't it recorded here. Easy answer...this, Matt casually upended fifty thousand yen worth of dresses Isn't your life. You've done some good things. Some great things. And yet I don't see any evidence of that here. You've helped save the world how many times? And I'm supposed to believe that the only thing in your life is dresses and bargain sales. Give me a break.  
But, then what is this? Mimi looked around, now truly lost.  
It's what you're afraid your life is. It's just sort of a symbol of what your deepest fears are. You're afraid that all those times when you've ignored things of real value have made your life meaningless. In doing so you overlook all the good things you have done. Matt ran a hand across his eyes. I know that I'm not so good at this, but I think that you should realize that you've done a lot more in your life than go to bargain sales.  
Mimi smiled crookedly. Maybe I have. I think I need to think a bit about that.  
Matt shrugged. Sure thing.  
One question though.  
  
Mimi smiled mischievously and held up a skirt that had fallen on the floor. Do you think this matches my eyes?  
Oh for the love of God Scotty, beam me out of here. Matt hid his face in his hands as Mimi's laughter rang out in the cavernous building.  
  
Well, either you're a closet masochist, or you have what we would call issues. TK's voice intruded on Sora's frantic struggles with a calmness that only seemed to be at odds with the panic in her movements. She wrenched around in the chains that held her tight to the iron frame to look at TK, who was standing almost carelessly behind her, examining what appeared to be a coiled whip made partially out of barbed wire.  
Get me out of here! She snapped at him.  
TK shrugged and waved his hand absently so that it passed straight through a steel chain. Can't help you there.  
What happened to you? Sora asked frantically.  
I'm a spiritual manifestation. Think of me as your very own advice column, except without all the newsprint. I'm supposed to guide you out of this mess, although I'm really not sure how you got into it.  
Where am I? For some reason the matter-of-fact way that TK was treating everything did more to calm her down than reassurance or empty platitudes.  
You are currently in the representation of something that appears to be one of your greatest fears. You are figuratively swimming in the middle of an ocean of doubt. Other than that, I really can't tell you much. TK shrugged again. For some reason you created this place, and I can't tell you why. You have to say it.  
But I don't know. Sora complained fearfully.  
You do. You just don't understand. TK walked calmly over to her. Ingenious device this. From the look of it, and the heat rising from that shaft, there's a steady stream of liquid, hot liquid, rising, that will eventually roast you alive here. You've put quite a lot of effort into this, so it must be important.  
But I don't know why. Sora replied again.  
TK shrugged. Then let me guess. You're afraid that your indecision and general lack of strong abilities, coupled with the jealousy you create in both Tai and Matt have led to general pain and suffering. It's a misconception, but apparently you feel that you should be punished for it.  
Something invisible tore at Sora's chest. But I did make Matt and Tai miserable and I didn't do any...I'm doing it again aren't I?  
Doing what? TK asked.  
  
Something like that. TK smiled. The temperature in the background began to rise slowly and steadily, but Sora ignored it for the moment.   
I thought I had gotten over that.  
We all wish that we had, but I guess that it's turned out that we never did. TK looked at the ceiling again. Anyway, I don't really know of anybody who is so confident that they can avoid their own doubts.  
I guess that's true. Sora replied. She remembered the twisting doubt that had echoed in her stomach before she got her crest to glow, and then, with the ease of long years of practice, began to put it behind her. So how do I get out of here?  
I would suggest breaking the chains. TK eyes the warming metal carefully.  
How do I do that?  
Overcoming your doubts. TK replied.  
Young man, if you don't give me a better answer than that, I'm going to smack you when I get out of here. Sora threatened.  
That's the point. When you get out of there. Not if. We all know you're going to do it. You know you're going to do it, _so will you please just do it_, because it's starting to get a little warm in here.  
Sora rolled her eyes at his attitude, snapped a finger, and carried them both away.  
  
Now this I don't recognize. Izzy peered around curiously. This was a rocky outcropping on the edge of a forest, peaceful in a gentle spring breeze. Sunshine came down from the sky in a torrent, illuminating everything in view, the soft leaves in the forest below them ruffled gently. Dappled in sunlight, flowers shone up at him in a dazzling array of colors that told him that he was looking at the Digital World.  
Oh hi Izzy. Joe dropped down next to him, out of the branches of a nearby tree. I wondered if you would be coming along.  
I think I'm supposed to be guiding you, but I think you may have already found your way. Izzy looked around. Although, if this is the darkest fear you have, I think you have it pretty good.  
No. This is different. Joe looked around and sighed. Look down there.  
Izzy peered down off the edge of the cliff. Just as he did that, twenty-four figures ran underneath, several of them practically dancing. Twelve humans and twelve digimon passed under them and vanished, laughing, back into the trunks of the trees. Izzy blinked, as the image of himself only younger disappeared along with them. What is this?  
This is the best day of my life. Joe leaned back against the tree and looked up at the sky. It's right after we defeated MaloMyostismon, remember? We had a school holiday and we spent the whole day exploring the new Digital World. It was wonderful, wasn't it?  
I remember. Izzy replied, remembering that Joe had been quiet through most of it.  
It was the most wonderful feeling I'll ever have. Joe reached up and brushed a tear away from his eye with one hand. I knew then that everything was as good that day as it was going to get. Evil had been defeated. I had not a care in the world, and all the adventures of the future stretched out in front of me. For the first time, there seemed to be no boundaries. I could do whatever I wanted. I could hike up mountains just to see what was on the other side. I could drink from far-off streams just to see what they tasted like. Me and my friends, real friends who accepted me for who I was, could run off and have adventures for the rest of our life.  
Joe turned away from the scene and stared at the grass at his feet. And then, suddenly, it was over. And we came back home. Back to school and chores and our responsibilities. I hated it sometimes, I hated our responsibilities most of all. All I wanted was to be bored. To have a day, a week, a year where I could go off and do anything I wished to.  
Izzy did not say anything. He had the feeling that he should not ruin the moment.  
I thought that would be something I would be able to do later, when I was more free. But that time never came. He sighed. Izzy, can you tell me the truth?  
Izzy replied instantly.  
Part of me knows that I could stay here forever on this magical day, with nothing happening. Part of me knows that I could leave here, put down my arms and wander the world, both worlds or many worlds, with Gomamon forever, dropping in on friends, exploring, and seeing things that nobody has ever seen before. The powers of Light owe me that much for the work I've done for them, don't they?  
Izzy replied.  
But if I go out there, through the door I can pass, it will never be the same. I will never have those opportunities, because the responsibilities will wear me down, won't they? If I choose to go onward, I won't even truly be human when this is all over, will I? I'll be condemned to helping save all worlds forever. Joe blinked, but it did not clear the water out of his eyes.   
Izzy answered very softly. He paused for a moment. I'm sorry Joe.  
Joe did not respond, almost as if he had not heard. Then he stood up. So am I. I guess what I wanted more than anything else in the world was a boring life, free of my responsibilities, but they drag down on me, more than ever. And now they cost me my freedom.  
Slowly he began to walk away from the scene, a wry smile on his face. Good ol' reliable Joe, eh? It's what I do best. Now let's get going, shall we.  
Where are we headed? Izzy asked.  
Into the forest. Soon I'll find my door. Than you'll have to find yours. Do you think there'll be traps and mud pits? I hate mud.  
The two of them disappeared from the golden fields of paradise, into the gloom of a certain and predestined future.  
  
Joe staggered into the whitewashed room and sat down on the plush chair nearest to him before noticing the others. There were five other people here, Yolei, Cody, Davis, Sora and Mimi. There were also six digimon, including a now quiet Gomamon, who simply crept onto Joe's lap and closed his eyes like he was going to sleep.  
So how did you do Joe? Sora asked quietly.  
If that was a test, I think I passed. Joe sank back in the chair and let his hand drape over Gomamon. I just hope I never have to pass it again.  
Davis gave him a tired smile.   
Then another door opened and Matt walked in. His hair was wild, sticking out in every direction. His eyes were vacant. He collapsed into a heap.  
Before anyone could move Tai entered through another door. He also had apparently had a tough time, and his hair was frazzled. A few wisps were actually smoking. He tripped over a chair and lay comatose for a few moments.  
Let's never do that again. Matt groaned.  
Another door opened into the middle of space an ejected Izzy forcefully into a lump on the ground. Tentomon staggered over to him and stared at him in concern until Izzy demonstrated that he could move, albeit in a constrained manner.  
I will never enjoy another test again. I promise. Izzy swore, before collapsing.  
What happened? Yolei yelled as Ken staggered through yet another door.  
Never ask that. Ken's eyes appeared to be about ready to roll up into his head. Never ask that, and pray that you never have to find out.  
So what do we do now?  
Get our breath back, and walk out. Ken pointed at the door at the end of the room, a door that appeared even as he pointed at it.   
What about TK and Kari?  
If they were coming, they would be here by now. Ken shrugged. Let's get going here.  
  
TK sighed and stared at Gennai again, who was ignoring the two of them and watching the sun very carefully.  
Is that the only way? Kari asked.  
It's the best we could come up with on short notice. Gennai shrugged.  
It should give us a chance. TK replied.  
Well, are you two lovebirds recovered from your test? Gennai turned his gaze back down to them.  
No we aren't. But we're as ready as we're ever going to be. Kari gave him a scathing look.  
That will have to do. Gennai replied. Let's go get you back.  
  
**

T minus Twenty-Four Hours   


**Wake up lazy. Gatomon flicked her tail across Kari's nose several times before her human partner finally managed to stir from the depths of sleep. You've got to wake up if you want any part in the fun.  
Wha' fun? Kari sounded groggy as he managed to pry herself from the bed.  
It's the day before the big one. Tai's face loomed suddenly in her vision. The day before it all goes to hell. Are you ready?  
Funny question. Do I have a choice? Kari smiled and sat up, and then realized that the room was far from empty. All twelve of the Odaiba digidestined were there, as well as representatives from the other main teams. Willis winked at her, Catherine shrugged, other digidestined gave her nods of greeting. So what is everybody doing here?  
We're putting the last points together for the master plan. TK sat up in the bed next to her, shaking his golden hair out. There's been a slight modification.  
What is it? Willis asked, checking a timetable with a concerned look on his face. We don't have much slack built into the schedule.  
We couldn't do this before, because we didn't have the strength, but with the other ten digidestined aiding us, and with our connections clearer, we finally do. We're going to raise the Kamikaze to aide us. TK smiled grimly.  
Weren't those suicide missions? Michael's eyebrows rose.  
Not exactly. Izzy turned toward the American. It's from Japanese history, relating to how unusually strong storms wrecked the only two attempts to invade old Imperial Japan from the sea. The suicide bombers from World War II were named after them, after the 'Divine Wind'.  
So what's going to happen? Davis turned toward the two on the beds. Are we going to whip up a monster storm? Because that will probably wreck our little invasion as well.  
Not really. What we're going to do is try and raise a monster storm that will hide us from the enemy. Really it's just going to be a lot of wind and fog, but the important thing is that, if we do it right, we'll be able to saturate the city without getting ourselves wet. At least not that much. TK smiled. I just hope that this will work.  
A storm doesn't seem that important. Willis pointed out, going over the list of enemy assets that their intelligence network in Japan pegged them as having.  
They key is not what happens to Tokyo during the storm. TK smiled grimly. We're going to be fixing your timetables for you. We'll create a fog bank off the coast of Korea. You sail into it, and when it blows away, you'll be outside Tokyo.  
Michael shouted.  
We're going to teleport the entire invasion fleet to right outside Tokyo harbor. The storm is just to keep them from guessing what we're up to. You won't even notice it when it happens, but we'll drop you right on our front door. TK gave them all a savage smile. And then, we'll drop everything we've got on Khartan.  
  
**

T minus Eighteen Hours  


** What are they doing? General Hayes asked, staring at the group of twelve children and twelve digimon standing in a circle around the pinnacle of rock where the land met the sea. Light waves broke across the rock, occasionally showering them in water droplets, but they never moved.  
You wouldn't believe me if I told you. Willis shook his head. How's the weather shaping up?  
You wouldn't believe _that_ if I told you. Trust me, I don't believe it myself. Hayes looked at the frustrated heavens, now shining with the rays of the sun.   
Let me guess. There's a storm building up that's starting to pound the Japanese coastline, but the seas are still as calm as a glass mirror.  
How the hell did you know that? Hayes demanded. There's a hell of a pressure system building up, but all it seems to be doing is pounding the hell out of the Japanese coast and interior, and leaving a lot of fog behind. Our meteorologists are so confused that they're practically shiting their pants.  
Let's just say that we're getting a little divine aid. Willis stared at the circle of unmoving figures.  
It's hard to surprise me anymore. Hayes turned back to Willis. How's the logistics side holding up?  
Do you know how many plane trips are required to carry an American Mechanized Infantry Division? Willis demanded.  
One-thousand three hundred flights. General Hayes responded almost immediately. That gives us ninety days of supplies added on.  
Do you know how many flights we've had to do it in? Willis asked acidly.  
Five hundred, was it?  
Yes. Even with cramming five hundred soldiers and their personal gear inside each one of those Boeing 747s, it took thirty-plus flights to bring the men. The equipment took up the rest. We've ditched everything we thought was unnecessary, but still, we're still shipping stuff as fast as we can.  
What about transport via digimon? Hayes asked.  
It's helped, but I can't guarantee more than two weeks of combat ability once you get to Tokyo. We've got thousands of digimon working around the clock to do this, but we're still a little behind on the schedule.  
What about Operation Trafalgar?  
We're in position and ready to go. Willis reported. Eighteen hours on the clock.  
  
**

T minus Four Hours   


** That still gives me the creeps. Admiral Kelliam watched the storm front from the deck of the USS _John C. Stennis_, the small waves not even shifting his position. I can't believe the seas are still so calm around here.  
Believe it. I've seen stranger. General Alexander watched carefully as the last of the boats that they had commandeered floated past them. Are you ready?  
As ready as we'll ever be. The Russians are ready too. Shall we move into final command mode?  
Let's do it.  
  
TK shrugged at Kari from where he was sitting at the head of Harrison's Whamon, watching the wisps of fog build. Several hundred marine digimon had been drafted for this duty, those large enough like Whamon were carrying huge masses of armored vehicles. Beside them drifted barges borrowed from Korean fishermen and the Chinese People's Liberation Army Navy. The PLAN was out in full force today, and elements of the US 7th Fleet were following as fast as they could.  
TK tightened his grasp on the metal of the M1A2 Abrams tank he was grasping and forced himself to breathe slower. Generals Alexander and Hayes were going to be responsible for the running of most of the operation. He was just around to give it some inspiring field command. Besides, everyone had agreed that his abilities were too essential to leave in the rear.  
Beside him crouched other digidestined, hundreds of them among the tanks, conserving their strength, waiting for their moment to strike. Thousands of human beings crouched, prepared for battle. Some were definitely handling it better than others, and there was a fair share of seasickness among the volunteers in the first wave, but most of them seemed to be quiet, alone with their own dark thoughts. They rode into battle to the tunes of a hymn of introspective silence, like so many others had before them.  
TK relaxed and smiled a little at the irony. In the modern age, an age of cynicism and bitterness, it had been assumed that there would never be an end to the conflict, never exist anything that might unify the races of man. Strange that another war seemed to have accomplished exactly that. Soldiers drafted from every country were part of this, troops flown in from Israel and Arab nations, Chinese and Taiwanese and Koreans, French and British and Germans, Japanese and Americans. Historical adversaries and unfriendly associates had come together to launch the greatest battle in history in the hopes of saving their future. Now they huddled, tense and waiting, as the future rushed toward them.  
  
**

T minus Ten Minutes   


** The silence had become oppressive. The fog was so thick that you could cut it with a knife, but the rays of the sun were finally breaking through the storm ahead. They could even hear the sound of waves crashing against the artificial shores surrounding Tokyo bay. Everyone was staying quiet, as if the barest sound might give the invasion away.  
In the distance he could hear some kid he did not know begin a heartfelt prayer. Beside him he could feel others join in, silently if not vocally.  
Tai watched the timer on his watch slowly count down to eight in the morning, and silently wondered if he had known what was coming, if he still would have gone to summer camp all those years ago. His thoughts were echoed by those around him, in different forms and different images, but the content remained the same.  
8:00  
Time.  
And Deliverance exploded overhead as, with a roar that needed no voice, the IDEF charged valiantly into battle.  
  
  


_The price of victory is hard fighting.  
Reuben Jenkins, military analyst.  
_


	24. Into the Valley of Death

Disclaimer: I make no claim to owning Digimon: Digital Monsters. This is a fan work for the enjoyment of the fans, from which I receive no monetary profit.  
  
**

Episode XLVIII  
Into the Valley of Death  


**   
_"And there pass those who walk into darkness of their own free will. Remember their faces. You may never see their like again."  
Gennai _  
  
In 1945 the USS _Missouri_, one of the powerful ships of the US Navy, had sat at anchor in Tokyo Bay, and on her deck the representatives of the people of Japan had signed a surrender agreement, ending both a decade of war for Japan and the largest, most destructive war in human history. On the plating of a ship built for war, peace had been forged, and the vengeful wrath of the big battleship had been forestalled, cheating it of the chance to go to the battle she had been built to fight. Instead she had been put into retirement, and if it had not been for the increase in global conflict, she might still be sitting in Pearl Harbor as a museum, waiting for her time.  
But now, over fifty years late, the invasion that she had been constructed to assist was finally getting underway. Nine sixteen inch guns, the largest guns still afloat, swiveled sideways in their turrets, rose above the horizon and waited. Below the sixty-five foot long guns the gun crews, removed in time but not in duty from the Powder Monkeys and gunnery crews who served under Admiral Nelson, labored to put their heavy shells into the breech with the propellant and slam the hatch. There was a moment of silence as the firing setup was confirmed, and the critical time was reached, and then a monster of fire belched forth from the landward side of the huge battleship.  
The sudden eruption of fire was clearly visible through the fog, through the dark and haze, lighting up the nearby ocean like day. Huge waves, created by the sudden explosion lashed outward.  
But the squadron of sharp-eyed Nanimon and Mammothmon at the mouth of the harbor understood none of this. Their reliance on inner strength made digimon powerful fighters, but they had only a partial glimpse of the wonders of technology. They were also cold and miserable from standing guard out at the foot of the pier, with only the cold, blowing wind for company. They saw the flare of light on the horizon as a distraction, not something they were supposed to attack as it came into the harbor, and briefly wondered what caused it.   
Then, nine 2,700 pound shells screamed in overhead and ended their worries forever.  
  
Jesus Christ! Willis swore as the first salvo from the _Missouri_ blew the harbor's first line of defense away with a fury that bordered on contempt. He clapped his hands uselessly to his ringing ears. That sucker's loud!  
Someone tell the _Missouri_ that they're right on target. And tell them to switch to target two. Kari's voice broke through the command channel.  
This is _Missouri_, I'm passing it on. The voice on the other end was a little girl named Stacy who Tai had felt would be safer if she stayed behind, where she could be of use to them without exposing her youth and innocence to enemy fire.  
Might as well open up with everything. TK advised. They sure as hell know that we're here now.  
Willis turned to the rest of Team Eagle. Keep your heads down. It's about to get noisy out here.  
Steve swore. If that was before it gets noisy, I'm not going to be able to hear anything by the time we get to shore.  
Willis wanted to throw back some answering quip when there was another roar from behind, this one speaking with many voices. One of the barges carrying supporting artillery pieces had seemingly just fired its first barrage, and everyone shrunk down in the hull of the boat that was carrying them to make themselves into smaller targets.  
On shore, over near the Tokyo Ferry Terminal on Odaiba itself, something that looked disturbingly like a group of digimon began to fire on something in the water. In return there was a series of thuds as one of the PLANs _Luda_ class destroyers began to fire back. Moments later there was a cacophony as defenders belatedly opened fire, and the massive salvos of the fleet ships accompanying Operation Trafalger returned fire with a blistering array of weapons. Willis kept his finger jammed in his ears tightly and hoped against hope that the sheer overpowering noise would not render him deaf.  
  
TK's voice echoing over the override channel was hardly necessary. Even before he said the word the first of the IDEF forces were already storming the beach.  
Tai and Matt shot overhead, Megas in the lead, but not alone. Over a hundred other flying digimon came in their wake, dropping off bundles of equipment on the shore as the soared into battle. Those same bundles were quickly recovered by infantrymen swarming off the marine digimon and shallow bottomed boats in the first wave. The first defenders emerged to defend Odaiba, only as WarGreymon arrived. With a fury of metal claws a dozen Bakemon were ripped apart into shreds of falling cloth. Moments later the first serious opposition appeared, a pair of TITAN units lumbering down a narrow street in their direction.  
Watch out Tai! WarGreymon's shield slid off his back and slammed down in front in time to catch a pair of missiles designed to penetrate the frontal armor of a heavy tank. He staggered backward, sliding along the ground, and came up swinging. But he barely had time to look at the two giant robots before they exploded into shards. A quick glance sidewise showed a dozen Americans discarding their first two anti-tank rocket casings, and flashing the Mega a thumbs-up.  
Let's get going here. Tai hung on grimly as WarGreymon shot down the street, looking for the next opposition, another pair of TITAN units, and falling on them with claws unsheathed. As their metal guts came apart around them, Tai caught a brief glimpse of a pair of digimon, a Woodmon and a Meramon, locked in mortal combat, roaring by. Everywhere humans were firing, digimon were attacking, people were screaming, and fires were beginning. And this was still only the start.  
  
Static Force! The wall surrounding the harbor area exploded inwards as Yolei and Silphymon blasted through. A moment later a whole crew of Russian troops moved through the hole, covering all approaches with the barrels of their assault rifles, blasting at a few flickers of movement, and covering the way for the dozen Champions that stormed through the gap.  
How's it going? TK's voice crackled over the communication link.  
Not bad. Yolei took another look around, but could not see anything out of place yet. We've almost secured the south-eastern section, and we'll be headed for Shiokaze Park as soon as we get enough troops into the dockyards. Even as she spoke she could watch another fifty soldiers and dozen digimon rush into the docks.  
Take your time securing the area. We don't want to get hasty. TK warned.   
I know. Yolei suddenly caught a glimpse of something in the air. Hold onI think I see something. Suddenly the shapes solidified into solid objects, huge gray insects flying towards them. Oh boy.  
What is it? Silphymon asked gruffly.  
It looks like we're in trouble. Yolei yelled and pointed. TK, they brought some Ookuwamon to the party!  
I see them. Silphymon soared upwards.  
Hold them off. TK snapped. Sora's on the way.  
Astral Laser! Silphymon let fly with his first salvo, and a single Ookuwamon veered off course under the impact, but there were four more flying to the attack even as he spoke.  
We'll do our best TK. Yolei promised But I don't know how long we can hold them.  
Your best is all we'll need. TK replied. Let's get down to business.  
  
ImperialDramon shrugged off his second load, and almost a hundred men, fully armed, tumbled onto the ground near the Tsukiji market, adjacent to central Tokyo. They quickly scrambled to their feet as the familiar glow of the cannon on ImperialDramon's back began again.  
Positron Laser! A huge beam of energy cut a hole straight through a pair of hulking MetalTyrannomon that had emerged from behind a building to challenge the newly landed soldiers, and the two monstrous digimon collapsed into digital dust as the beam hit them. But more digimon were arriving every second, and the advance elements were ducking behind cars, storage tanks and buildings in an attempt to cover themselves.   
It's a stalemate. Davis reported as Ken directed ImperialDramon's flight. Both sides are fightin' each other to a standstill. We need more people here and we need them here now!  
I know. TK replied reasonably, with infuriating calm. But we need the big ships in there to support you, and we can't get the big ships up here until we neutralize the fortifications at Odaiba.  
Well, you better tell the people on Odaiba to go fast, because our people are going to be cut to pieces up here without them. Davis knew he was being uncharitable, but the pressure of the moment was distracting him.  
I'll keep it in mind. TK replied deadpan, and then he signed off as Davis dove behind the sheltering bulk of ImperialDramon's head as a lash of fire singed their shields.  
  
Joe glanced sideways from his post on Zudomon's head as someone called out. Sure enough, there was a whole group of Gesomon, their white squid-heads protruding from the water, zooming straight for them. He was about to call Zudomon's attention to them, when the water began to fountain around them.  
What's that? A young Korean girl shrieked and pointed at the sudden underwater detonations that surrounded them.  
An old friend. Joe smiled.  
There was a surge of water beside them, and then Submarimon emerged from the water, clear canopy peeling back to reveal Cody inside.  
Was that the last of them? Joe asked.  
The last in this area. Cody reported, checking his D-Terminal just to make sure. I just wanted to tell you that I cleared the outer patrols, so you should be safe as you head in, but that you should be careful as you get closer to Ginza. TK wants me to patrol the far side of Odaiba, so I'll be clearing off.  
All right. Joe saluted Cody with one hand, and watched as the young boy slid beneath the waters, a deadly hunter once more.   
What now? A tall digidestined boy asked.  
We hit the beach as hard as we can. Zudomon! It should be clear sailing from here on out. Let's hit it!  
Aye aye captain! The huge digimon, and the other marine digimon behind him, swarmed toward the beach.  
  
Mimi watched Lilymon disappear upwards. The Ultimate could fight much better when she did not have a human on her back to take care of, and Lilymon would need every extra advantage she could squeeze out of her strength if things got as bad as it seemed that they would. TK had already been forced to commit his airborne reserves in order to support Yolei and the rest of that task force, currently clearing out the eastern side of Odaiba. Fortunately, it seemed that whatever ground forces were in the area were covering that side of the city.  
There was a trampling of feet and then a panting girl that Mimi recognized as Rosa from Mexico stumbled up beside her.  
There is nobody left here. All the fighting is on the other side of the island. Rosa explained breathlessly. We've got things covered.  
Mimi breathed out a sigh of relief, and then got on her D3's communications channel. TK, it's Mimi. We've secured the Ariake area. It looks like we're cleared to move further.  
TK sounded relieved, and Mimi wondered if he had any good news today. If any news in this mess could be considered good. Take half your team and barricade the western approaches. Send the other half to central Odaiba. The fighting is getting pretty fierce over here.  
  
Kari peered out from behind the glass storefront for a moment, before jerking her head back in. She turned to the pair of digidestined standing right behind her.   
It looks like they've taken up positions in the stairwell. I want to avoid them at all costs, so use the back exits, and see if you can get around them. Then you with the Rockmon, see if you can blast a way through these walls so we can outflank them. Kari shook her head at that last idea, but turned back toward watching the door. Here, inside the huge Odaiba shopping complexes, their maneuverability was constrained, but they still needed to move through as fast as possible. Every second wasted gave the defenders more time to bolster the defenses of Tokyo itself.  
I don't see us advancing much faster. She admitted privately to TK. It's pretty much store to store fighting out there, and it looks real nasty.  
Somehow I expected that. TK gave her a glance that caused her heart to flutter, and then went back to looking at maps as the sound of renewed fighting broke out in the main hallway. There were the harsh sounds of digimon growling out the names of their attacks, followed by a series of explosions. Then there was another sound, the sound of a grenade launcher coughing, and more explosions wracked the building.   
A hissing sound drew Kari's attention closer to home, as a handful of cylindrical objects rolled past her observation point from somewhere behind them, and immediately began hissing, filling the hallway with a huge mass of smoke. Shapes moved in the smoke, shapes like men, amid confused shouts. Then there was the snarl of close-range gunfire, screams, more shouts, more gunfire, and then silence.  
A man wearing corporal's rank insignia ran up to their impromptu command post. We've secured up to the last floor. He reported, but we're starting to run low on ammo. It's been pretty hefty fighting around here.  
Try to secure the top floor anyway. Kari looked around, but there was nobody they could use to replace these worn-out soldiers. The rest of us better move onto Aqua City.  
I agree. TK stood up. He looked at his watch and grinned wryly. It was 8:23.  
That only took twenty-three minutes? Kari sounded aghast.   
What a day this is going to be. TK sighed.  
  
What the hell is going on? General Alexander snarled.  
They've driven most of the opposition out of Odaiba proper, but there's still fighting in different areas all over the island. And there's a massive air battle occurring over the eastern part of the island. General Hayes reported, staring at the map. But we've got no choice. We've got to start pushing forward.  
Are you kidding? Admiral Kelliam looked around at them. If they stop fighting in the air, they'll massacre half our ships.  
We're out of time. General Alexander responded. I know we didn't want things to come to this, but we really don't have much of a choice left. Especially if we don't want to be massacred on the ground.  
This is Takaishi. A voice broke over the command net. We're going to have to mark Operation Trafalgar as good. Operation Hastings is cleared to proceed.  
Well, that tears it. General Hayes left the Combat Information Center to give the necessary orders to his troop commanders.  
I hope you know what you're doing. Admiral Kelliam watched in helpless frustration as the first ships turned into contested waters. Or else this is going to be a very short battle.  
  
Hastings is Go! Hastings is Go! The voice broke over the command net suddenly, and Willis felt his transport lurch under him. A cold sweat broke out all over his body as he realized, after that wait, that they were finally heading into real combat again. Another digidestined, a younger one that Willis did not know, appeared to be sweating and about ready to vomit, until Lou placed a gentle hand on the boy's shoulder.  
We ready? Willis asked the others unnecessarily.  
Do we have a choice? Phil grinned at him, and Willis rolled his eyes, even as the keel of the boat suddenly grounded against a shore that had been invisible only moments before.  
He plunged off into the water and gasped in shock. The water was cold. When he had been told that they would be dropped off in shallow water, he had not pictured the gray wetness that now rose to his waste, but even through the shock he forced himself to move forward. The pain caused by the cold was nothing compared to the pain that would come if he was caught along here by the enemy. His head filled with thoughts of how freezing cold he would be in a matter of hours, and that his clothes would probably never dry out. Then the thought of being horribly wounded or dead in a few hours took that thought out of his mind.  
As if to underscore the danger, a blast of energy soared over the beach, passing near enough to a young digidestined that she screamed, and immediately dove behind a washed-up sea buoy. More shots followed, and though none hit their targets, the advance stopped as digidestined threw themselves behind sand mounds and rocks and any other barriers that they could find.  
Willis yelled as a few blasts of fire forced him to duck. Suppression fire!  
Gatling Arm! Gargomon stood up and let a steady stream of fire hose back and forth over the opposition, and the volume of fire slackened off suddenly. Apparently the enemy also wanted to keep their heads down.  
All right! Willis darted over the embankment he had ducked down behind. Up and at 'em!  
For a moment the other digidestined, shocked and dismayed, did not move. They huddled in their seawater soaked clothes behind every barrier and every obstruction that they could find, staring up with fearful eyes. For a moment Willis despaired of them ever going anywhere. Then the members of Team Eagle, friendship overriding self-preservation, charged up behind him. Behind them more digidestined and their digimon followed, each unwilling to be left behind in the sudden shuffle that moved them forward. Willis let out an exuberant scream as he charged, and suddenly they were off the beach, and into the built up realm of Tokyo proper.   
He vaulted a wall and found himself face to face with a Meramon who had been cowering behind the barrier. There was a moment while they stared at each other, and then the Meramon began to bring his arm up. Then a Monochromon slammed through the barrier and rammed into the Meramon, diverting the dark digimon's attention to a more dangerous foe. Endigomon stormed overhead as well, liberally salting the ground with fire from his chest-mounted cannons, even as Gargomon began to pick and choose his targets more carefully.  
Strong Carapace! Lou and Tortomon blasted through a late arriving squadron of Bakemon, just as Centarumon, with Maria still clinging valiantly to his back, leapt over an entire beachfront building, hooves flailing with heavy, powerful blows at his enemies. Even the few Ultimate level digimon who had rushed to the beachfront fell back before those powerful blows, and by drawing back and bunching up, they changed themselves into ideal targets. Dozens of digimon partnered with digidestined concentrated their fire on their enemies, and behind them there was the hollow thump of grenade launchers. Dark digimon found themselves torn at with every type of weapon imaginable, fire and steel blasting through their ranks as easily as storm and sorcery. They screamed and blasted back, and their fire savaged the beachhead.  
Fortunately, they were outmatched from the beginning. Even as they began to fight, to draw into open positions and to engage the IDEF from what strongholds they could still find, the tide had turned against them. Coupled with the surprise of the shock assault, the necessity of having to defend a huge patch of soil with inferior numbers of units took its toll before the fighting truly began. In the wake of the surprise came huge units of digidestined and their human allies, rushing isolated pockets of darkness before they could form, throwing themselves selflessly into the breach, sometimes armed with only sticks and stones, to tear apart the forces of evil. Even as they turned to flee they were cut apart by bolts of energy and lightning that rained down from all sides.  
But they did not go down easy, and they did not go down alone.  
Willis had only a moment to glimpse the prostrate human bodies lying all over the causeways near the beach before he was charging off, but the image was burned into his mind forever.  
  
Sora ducked instinctively as Garudamon dodged a close shot, but managed to hang on to the flying Ultimate while the world bucked around her. For the past few minutes the world had been merely a blinding and bewildering collage of blurred colors and shining rays of light slashing by her. There had only been the sweat-soaked smell of Garudamon as Sora braced her face in the big Ultimate's feathers, only the sickening whirl as her stomach was ripped upside-down and inside-out and backwards to forwards.  
Now she had a minute to think and regain her bearings. The first squadron had contained five Okuwamon only, and now they were all digital dust on the wind. The incoming fire was arising from a huge group of Flymon who had risen from the city itself, and now were in combat with everyone that TK had managed to throw into their path. Digimon twisted and turned, some hit by accident, some swatted out of the sky by collisions as opposed to enemy fire, but casualties were mounting on both sides, and Sora was not surprised to see that the ground below was covered with digidestined, clutching unconscious in-training digimon to them.  
Garudamon reached out and effortlessly batted down one Flymon, but Sora could see the next attack, a dozen Roachmon rising in from the Imperial Gardens near the waterfront. Even from this distance she could see them bare their fangs and dive toward the battleground. Behind them more specks were appearing, drifting into view from all over the city, and behind her, Sora could see the digidestined from the other teams beginning to tire out.  
TK, this is Sora. She spoke boldly into her D3.  
This is TK. Go. TK responded calmly. There were some explosions in the background that Sora could hear, but nothing major. Still, she wondered how even he could remain so calm.  
We're having problems here TK. She almost lost hold of her D3 as Garudamon lurched under her. They've managed to get a whole bunch of flying digimon into the area. We're seeing more of them all the time.  
Wing Blade! Six Flymon who had been menacing a young boy on the back of a Unimon were blasted into so much dark dust, but more surged to take their place.  
Message is understood. TK sounded calm, even as another digidestined and her digimon were hurled groundwards by another attack.  
Don't you understand TK?! We're getting destroyed up here. Sora nearly screamed.  
I know. But there's nothing else I can do. For what it's worth, I'm sorry. TK suddenly sounded lost, but his voice firmed up again. Stand your ground, help will be on its way shortly.  
What's the plan? Yolei flew up behind Silphymon's shoulder as Sora heard TK shift his attention to other matters.  
We hold here and hope our illustrious leader knows what he's doing. Sora looked around. Try to save as many as possible! We need more time!  
I hate this. Yolei screamed as Silphymon peeled away to assist a group of digidestined.  
I know. Sora whispered to the wind. I know.  
  
Tai yelled, sticking his head around the corner. A blast of energy nearly took it off, and he ducked back with WarGreymon. We're out of luck on this side! He called. Across the street, covered with twisted debris, a man in a soiled green uniform stuck his assault rifle blindly around the corner and emptied the magazine in an attempt to suppress the fire headed back in his direction. Return fire blasted a pair of bricks above his head to sand, but he managed to duck back in time.  
This isn't working! WarGreymon grumbled.  
We'll have to use the other side. Tai looked back at the group of dirty young men and gave thanks that Izzy's translation program was still working. It looked like half of those depending on him were from different nations from any of the others. They were dirty, tired and almost all of them were bleeding from one part of their body or another.  
Just like we did the last street. Tai told them, and they nodded, grouping up quickly and silently behind WarGreymon.  
WarGreymon yelled and threw himself out of the shelter of the wall into the middle of an open street, shield closing around in front of him. A moment later there was the whistle of incoming fire, and then bullets and bolts of flame began to bounce off the shield. WarGreymon tightened with the effort of holding it up, tensing his muscles as more and more volume of fire began to pound at his flimsy defenses.  
The humans poured out behind him and began returning fire, bullets and grenades whizzing down the street. One man, who looked French to Tai, clutched his shoulder suddenly and went down screaming. Tai stared at the man a moment in dull incomprehension. The sound of the man's screaming was lost in the roar of gunfire, but his face was contorted in pain and his mouth was open. It was unnerving, everyone almost deaf, but not blind, and death lurked behind every wall, around every corner.  
Gradually, the return fire from the other end of the street began to slacken, and WarGreymon began to relax, but he looked worn. His shield was battered, and he was drawing from his own strength to add to the protection he could offer. Still, there were limits, even on his strength, and slowly, he was exhausting.   
With the street clear scattered soldiers and digidestined emerged from other hiding spots amid the ruin and moved forward, but there were much less of them than there should have been. Here and there the flash of cloth and blood showed what had happened to the rest of them.  
Matt, we're getting wasted down here. How about you? Tai spoke tiredly into his D3.  
Not much better. Matt agreed tiredly. They're simply swarming us under over here. Odaiba is secure, but the troops on the mainland aren't getting anywhere.  
I know. Tai replied, wiping sweat off his brow. I jumped over once most of Odaiba was secure. But we're getting mauled over here! We can barely stand still, let alone move forward. We need support!  
I know. TK interrupted both of their frequencies. But I don't know where to get it.  
  
My God man! Admiral Kelliam waved a hand to the scene on the radar. Have you looked at that? It's a hornet's nest out there. The flare of digimon from both sides mixing it up in the waters over Tokyo Bay lit up the screen. There's only one channel into the harbor, the one that skirts Odaiba, and there's goddamned World War III going on over that! I can't send ships through there, they wouldn't last a minute.  
We don't have a choice. General Alexander slammed his fist on the display, making the radar operator jump. Our troops are getting shot to pieces up there. They need our help!  
We're not going to be of any help if we die in the middle of the straight. Kelliam pointed out savagely.  
Why you General Hayes started.  
Quiet Sam. Alexander turned back to Admiral Kelliam. Now listen Admiral. For kids, the world is simple. There are bad guys, and then there are good guys. Bad guys are the scary ones, and good guys are everyone else. Everything we've ever told ourselves leads to us protecting those children, because they can't protect themselves. But now hundreds of childrenhave just thrown their lives into the heat of battle because we promised that if they did, that they would beat the bad guys. We promised to save them, and they believed it. We can't betray their trust. We promised ourselves, when we took the oath and donned the uniform, to keep people like them out of harm's way. We can't sacrifice them because we fear the consequences.  
Or because we have a distinct lack of balls. General Hayes spat in disgust. The room went quiet and Admiral Kelliam straightened up.  
Get me _Port Royal_. He ordered the communications officer.   
This is _Port Royal_. The head Ticonderoga-class cruiser reported a few seconds later.  
Jim? Do you see the area over the straight ahead? Do you think we can navigate it? Admiral Kelliam asked quietly.  
A bit messy, isn't it sir? The man called Jim sounded uneasy.  
Jim. Let me explain it like this, we have several thousand men being slowly ground to hamburger on the shore. Half of them are children as young as yours. The only way to save them is for us to punch through and support them. And a senior officer of the US Army has just questioned whether or not we have any balls. So I ask you, can we do it?  
There was a moment of silence, then a reply. Sir, this is the USS _Port Royal_. We will _ram_ the fuckers if you want us to. Sir. The voice sounded formal, but with an air of excitement behind it.  
Very well, _Port Royal_, lead out and take the rest of first squadron with you. Second squadron, third squadron, form on them. Admiral Kelliam stepped backwards until he was even with the digidestined assigned to him. Mr. Takaishi, 7th Fleet, USN, is now officially yours to command. If you have firing priorities, pass them off directly.  
He stepped back, nothing more than a passenger for a moment, and then looked at his comm officer again. And tell the bridge to prepare to move us into a supporting position.  
His chief of staff stood up suddenly, but it was his flag lieutenant who objected. I must remind you that _Nimitz_-class carriers do not carry armament meant for engaging other targets directly. We are not outfitted for combat.  
Kelliam's gaze was hard.   
Aye aye sir. His flag lieutenant grinned suddenly.  
You can't seriously mean to take the Fleet and the support ships into a combat zone. His chief of staff objected. It could be disastrous.  
I thought I gave an order. Kelliam sounded mild.  
There is no reason to endanger this entire His chief began.  
GODDAMN IT! Kelliam pointed. Thousands of people are being shot at out there. We have a job to do! I gave an order! I expect it to be obeyed! If I say 'Jump!', you better bash your fucking brains out on that roof, or I will pull off your balls and shoot _them_ at the enemy! Do you fucking understand me?!?  
To his surprise, everyone, including the chief of staff, was grinning at him. Clearly, they were all insane and enjoying every minute of it.  
Orders to the Fleet sir? His communications officer saluted sharply.  
Tell them that the Free World expects every man to do his duty. He exhaled, wondering how Nelson would have seen that quote, and then tried to think of something momentous to say. Then he shrugged and gave up. Onwards and upwards. All ships are to fire as they bear. He sat down and gave the order he never thought he would.  
Come about and prepare to engage enemy forces.  
  
Get out of there! TK yelled, emotion returning to his voice in a rush.  
Sora yelled.  
Pull back! He yelled again. Get away from their big Ultimates! Get clear!  
Pulling back. Sora acknowledged, waving the small group of digidestined still around her backwards. It would be a waste to spend all this time fighting over something we weren't going to use though.  
Pull back! TK yelled again.  
We're back, we're back! Yolei responded, sounding angry and flustered. What else should we do?  
Pray that Willis' IFF system works. TK murmured, before signing off.  
Sora and Yolei exchanged quick glances. The Identify-Friend-or-Foe system was something that Willis and the IDEF computer programmers had sweated their butts off building, designing a system that could, based on the emissions of the their digivices, be able to tell the difference between digidestined digimon and evil ones. It had taken Michael threatening to institute daily whippings to get the system done and installed on time, but digimon did not need to use it, so why would it be used now unless  
The USS _Port Royal_ turned ten degrees to clear its forward decks for firing. A moment later there was a click as hatches opened mechanically, and the forward Mark 41 Vertical Launch System spat out the first forty-eight Standard SM-2(MR) missiles into the air. A burst of flame obscured the launch, and digimon everywhere turned to watch the fiery columns rise into the air.  
Enemy digimon stood slackly, watching with curiosity things that they apparently did not understand. Then, comprehending that this might be a new threat, they began to move around, mixing like a cloud of hornets, as if they were trying to confuse this new threat, whatever this new threat was. The larger digimon ignored it, thinking it beneath them. The smaller digimon prepared to use their maneuverability to avoid whatever was coming in.  
The Standard missiles had been designed to shoot down not only enemy aircraft, but incoming missiles. At this range, with this many clustered targets, missing was simply not an option. The missiles streaked in at speeds outstripping any of the movements of the hostile digimon, racing until their proximity alarms told them that they were close enough to their targets. Then they exploded in a cloud of lethal, razor-sharp shrapnel.  
Two dozen of the larger digimon were blotted from the sky in a moment, becoming only memories as large explosions ripped through them. Dozens more of the smaller digimon perished in the same way, torn apart by the storm of steel. Still more suffered horrible injuries, some cut up, some burned as the fuel left in the missiles ignited into burning sulfurous clouds. Some injured digimon staggered off toward the ground, flying like butterflies with broken wrings, limping and slamming loosely into the dirt. Still others fluttered for a few seconds before de-digivolving, filling the air with falling bodies. Pain overtook others, maddening them into insanity until they attacked whatever was nearer, battles of near epic proportions breaking out in the middle of the crowd.  
Do we charge? Sora asked breathlessly.  
TK replied shortly.   
The fog parted, and the _Arleigh Burke_ class destroyer USS _Decauter_ rounded the point, weapons out and pointing. She was coming in broadside, unmasking all her batteries, and with a roar that nearly defied description, seventy-two Standard missiles leapt out of her Vertical Launch batteries and slammed into her enemies, filling the air with blood, data and shards of metal.  
Now you can charge. TK reported.  
Thy will be done. Sora murmured, and behind her the first airborne contingent of the InterDimensional Expeditionary Force swept into battle.  
  
Willis. The big guns are on their way. TK's voice crackled through.  
Wonderful that. Joe murmured from Willis' left, just as Zudomon's hammer sent another Scorpiomon flying through the air to crash into an abandoned building. We're getting butchered in place. Even though he was speaking, he was busy trying to bind a soldier's wound, ignoring the man's grunts of pain.  
Steve threw himself down to the ground in front of both of them as another salvo of artillery slammed home, blasting earth everywhere, and covering him neatly in a cover of soot. We need help here! He looked over at the other two digidestined, Joe, still winding a bandage, was unconcerned with such trivialities as falling artillery shells.  
What's up? Willis asked, coughing out some dirt from his mouth.  
We're pinned down. We made it about five streets in, and then they started bringing up the really heavy stuff. Now we know where most of their Ultimates were, but that's not a great deal of help right now. We've got TITANs and heavy digimon trying to swarm us back into the ocean. The troops managed to dig in before they really hit us, but we're stuck, and sooner or later they're going to get lucky. Where's our support?  
Here it comes! Gargomon took a moment off from filling the skies with high-velocity machine gun fire to wave at the shore. Willis, Joe and Steve all turned to look just as the first crunch of metal on sand and gravel marked the arrival of the first ship.  
There was a crunch as the boarding ramp of the first ship dropped with a clang, revealing nervous faces behind it. There was another crunch as a flat-bottomed barge grounded as close to the shore as it could, and the splash as people jumped off into waist deep water, splashing through to land. From afar their movements were almost comical, waving arms and flailing legs straining against the continual beat of the surf. Every once in a while a man had to take a huge breath before being submerged by a gigantic wave. Some were forced to hide behind barriers, obstructions, and even the bodies of fallen comrades in the first wave as fire swept the beach, but they came onwards, and more ships were arriving every minute.  
Then, with a roar that echoed throughout the city, they reached land. Five hundred digidestined and ten thousand Chinese shock troops stormed out of the surf and rushed the beach like a tidal wave.  
  
So that's their game. Khartan mused quietly, ignoring Bane who was standing next to him. A full fledged frontal assault. I would not have thought them courageous enough to mount such an attack. I misjudged their unity.  
Perhaps we underestimated them. Bane remarked quietly. The two were sitting in the observatory deck in the Tokyo Metropolitan Government building in West Shinjuku, staring out at the flashes of gunfire and explosives.  
Indeed. Still, if this is all they plan, they have no hope. Khartan flicked a finger out almost insolently, dismissing the two Mega-level digimon guarding the doors.  
They are landing units unopposed south of Yokohama. Bane reminded his ruler. And none of us have any idea what their human aerial units are doing.  
Yes, although I do not know what they expect to accomplish. Khartan stared at the map. No matterit really isn't that important.  
Then the lights went out.  
  
What the hell? Tai looked around. Suddenly there was the disappearance of some of the crackling background noise, of the lights that had been flashing in the background. Ahead of him a malfunctioning traffic light had just stopped working entirely. It was a strange moment, and there was a lull in the noise of battle as soldiers on both sides noticed what had just happened.  
This is TK. TK sounded over the communications net. It looks like that bet we hedged paid off.  
Suddenly Tai grinned. I forgot about that. It paid off in spades. Izzy, are you ready?  
Silly question. Izzy replied vocally. ImperialDramon and I have been waiting for nothing else for the past ten minutes or so. We're going in.  
This is Raptor lead. That was Winters in the lead fighter. All assault squadrons, form on Mjolnir lead. Saber and Katana squadrons, we need you to run interference, make sure we have a hole in their lines. If they know we're coming, they're probably going to try and run some cover between us and their big guns, so mark your targets well, and ride your kills. I don't want anything coming back from the dead to haunt us.  
This is air control. That was their supervisor, back on the _Stennis_. You are cleared to make your attack run.  
Fire's pretty heavy over the fish market. Someone noted anonymously.  
We'll swing around it. Izzy replied.  
Copy that. Just be careful. That sounded a lot like Ken's voice.  
Jesus. Will you look at that crossfire? Someone exclaimed.  
Cut the chatter. That was Winters again. All units, break and attack.   
  
We did it! Noriko yelled, dashing out the door.  
All right, let's get the hell out of here. Hiroaki Ishida, carrying the weapon of a soldier he had hit over the head waved back toward the maintenance tunnel. They had come through a dozen such tunnels to hit the main power transfer relay, and were now fading out the same way. He had not believed how truly vulnerable Tokyo's power network had been, but their intelligence appeared to have been right. Just using the digimon of the few digidestined left in Tokyo had been enough to destroy the main power connections and send half the city into blackness. That and the help of Lieutenant Takaeda and his police allies who were attacking another power relay in another section of town. And the effort of a few graduate computer science students attached to the University, who were doing their best to gum up the works, and reroute power to the most useless locations.  
Moving out. Jim reported, staring back down the direction he had come from. They'll know we're here soon, if they don't already.  
Roger that. Hiroaki dashed out the door.  
That sounded like Cody's grandfather. Something's coming! I can hear  
The rest of his message dissolved into static as something exploded directly over Jim's head. The entire building shook, and huge chunks of concrete the size of small cars began to rain down around Jim's head. The youth ducked past them, and dove for the door when the door swung shut, rocked by the explosions overhead. For a moment Jim could not react as he watched the massive door slam shut. Then there was a hammering blow as his head struck, he had been unable to break his lunge in time.  
His vision swam for a few moments as the world rotated around him. There was only a brief sound to alert him to his real danger, but his reflexes, impaired by his situation, were no longer up to the task. He tried to dive aside again, but he was barely able to move.  
And then his world dissolved into piercing pain.  
  
Let's do it people. Izzy called as the huge airborne formation broke up. Fighters went first, clearing the air with missile salvos that corkscrewed away from the big ships at speeds way above the speed of sound, seeking out their targets with devastating accuracy. Behind them came the rush of digimon held back for this moment, hundreds of them pouncing on any enemy survivors remaining in the vicinity, driving any raiders away from the huge fleet of helicopters and large, lumbering digimon in the second wave.  
The first helicopters, skimming the ocean like skipping stones, arrived, small vehicles that could flit around like dragonflies. From them ropes were lowered and more troops, these from a multitude of nations too great to count, were dropped into the middle of the maelstrom the swirled beneath them, occupying key choke points in the streets near the waterfront. Behind them came the lumbering Champions, dropping more people from their backs as they coasted down onto the ground. They hit the ground with loud thuds, barely giving the people on their back a chance to unload their equipment, and then they were aloft again, speeding back to the huge freighters that carried even more people, waiting for a chance to attack.  
These soldiers and their accompanying IDEF personnel hit the ground in sparse numbers, cutting off traffic in a number of districts, slowing down the massive horde of dark digimon that were trying to get to the front. Those digimon, hurrying along in their rush to join the fray, found themselves blasted at from all angles, stumbling and bleeding as fire hit them from buildings that had, moments ago, been unoccupied. Gunfire cracked over the whole city, and the occupiers suddenly found themselves under attack in a dozen different quarters of the urban environment, unable to move swiftly to beat back the attacks. Huge structures of steel and concrete became fortresses, they were hard to access if the elevators were off and the stairs blocked, and even the fast companies of dark digimon moving through the streets were hard pressed to attack those buildings.  
Daniel scrambled off the back of a friendly Kabuterimon just as the rest of European Legion London, as well as almost a hundred Royal Marines in helicopters, dropped on the ground right next to Tokyo Station. A dozen Bakemon standing guard outside were toasted within moments as Deltamon opened up on them, and then the first teams of shock troops had broken down the doors, racing inside to secure critical shooting platforms. Even as the last of the friendly digimon raced inside to get out of the open, there was gunfire as snipers, managing to get to open windows, began to take potshots at passing digimon. Daniel, with Deltamon behind him, managed to squeeze through the front doors and braced themselves to hold the main entrance from further back in the lobby.   
Outside there was another roar, and five more helicopters approached. Four lowered rope ladders, and a dozen men slid out of each helicopter, with five digimon leaping out of the last one as well, looking as if they were amused. The fifth helicopter had just begun lowering their ropes when a fireball arced through the air and caught it on one of its rotors, sending it spinning into the ground. Daniel watched in horror as the spinning body, lurching without the full use of its rotor, slammed into the ground, and immediately dissolved into a ball of burning fuel. Above him he could hear the characteristic sound of some of the digimon in his group opening up on whoever had fired on the first helicopter, and then he was too busy getting the people from the other helicopters inside and under cover.  
An American trooper swore as he rushed inside, only to be cut off by the deafening sounds of aerial digimon and air-to-surface missiles blasting an enemy formation somewhere nearby in the city. Daniel glanced up in time to see a huge blur as ImperialDramon soared overhead, and then gunfire in the city itself warned him that the combat was upon them. And then he was too busy to think.  
  
All right kids, here's where we are. General Sergev pointed to a location on his map. The location of the 21st Airborne Guards was sketched out, along with the positions of other units dropped close to nearly undefended Yokohama. Here's where we need to be. His finger lazily traced a winding path through the red marks of known enemy units until it reached the center of Tokyo. So the question is, how long will it take to get there?  
It will be difficult General. One of his colonels stared at the map for a long moment. It will look like Stalingrad again, fighting through an occupied city against heavy odds. I do not know if we can do it.  
I did not ask if we can do itI asked how long it would take. We have most of the heavy combat power in the invasion force. If Operation Normandy is to succeed we must break through enemy lines and unite with friendly forces near the Imperial Palace in central Tokyo. So, how long will it take to get there?  
Fifteen kilometers, not that long, but long enough with a fight at the end of it. Another colonel mused. Tell them five hours.  
Let's try to shave time off of that. Sergev growled. He turned to the blond haired girl next to him. Sonja, tell your people to be ready to move out.  
They're already good to go. The girl reported, nodding at the rearing and prancing digimon nearby.  
Let's move it out. Sergev waved forward, and Task Force Lionheart, InterDimensional Expeditionary Force, moved into battle.  
  
Mimi ducked behind some crates and waited for the inevitable explosions to die down. Rosa was visible a few meters away, hiding behind what had once been a vehicle designed to move baggage, and now was little more than a burnt-out wreck. The girl's eyes were still bright, and that did not fail to impress the older girl. Somewhere in the distance there was the sound of continuing blasts of fire as digimon battled it out, nearer there was the roar of gunfire as troops from the IDEF's allies secured the last of the buildings, and blasts of rose-colored light as Lilymon reduced the last airborne enemies into dust.  
What do we do now? Rosa mouthed, her voice indistinguishable above the scream of tortured metal and wounded people on the battlefield.  
Then Lilymon was back, her wings folding up behind her as she hovered. I think we have the last of them. They weren't really expecting us to his way over here.  
Mimi looked around nervously. They were a long way from any of their friends, but when TK had shown them the plan on paper it made a lot of sense, and she was still determined to carry it out. She took a moment to reflect on how far she had come from the little girl she had been and then steeled her resolve.  
All right, tell control that we've cleared Narita International Airport for now. Tell them to get the air crews in here fast. Mimi looked around. The airport was far enough away from Tokyo that it apparently had not been seen as a priority target in this invasion, but its staging facilities would be invaluable for their airborne fighter aircraft. And control of it would be necessary for half of TK's plan to work.   
So what do we do? Lilymon asked as the noise began to fade in the background.  
We make sure it stays secure. Mimi replied grimly.  
  
Matt and MetalGarurumon soared overhead the battle. A hundred missiles a second were reaching out from the lanky Mega, slamming into target after target with deafening force, freezing them over into immobility, and letting the supporting units finish them off quickly. It was getting crowded above the city, but they were still doing their job, and doing it well. Discarded data from hundreds of Champion level digimon was floating around them, and they kept firing. Any digimon that appeared a threat was a target, and MetalGarurumon was certainly not lacking targets.  
Matt caught a glimpse of strange movement and spent a moment devoutly hoping that he had not seen what he thought he had. Then he took another look, and felt his heart sink down in his stomach as the most frightening prospect of the mission turned his guts to ice. Still, he reached down for his D3 to report.  
Hey bro. Matt took a moment to watch more of the battle on the ground, his unease growing with every second.  
Yeah Matt? That was TK all right, completely unruffled.  
They've gone to plan B. Matt reported.  
Some part of Matt was glad that his brother could still sound disconcerted. Does that mean  
Matt confirmed, ducking down as MetalGarurumon started firing again. We've started fighting against humans over here.  
  



	25. The Glorious First of May

Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon or any of its associated characters. This is a fan work, and not intended to be used for commercial purposes.  
Author's Note: I would like to thank all those who reviewed, and apologize for taking my own sweet time to get it out.  
  
  
**

Episode XLIX  
The Glorious First of May  
  


** _The battle known as the Glorious First of May was neither Glorious nor a Battle as we think of the word. It was a continuous morass of death, destruction, courage and honor, a testament to the might of united mankind  
_

Justice, _Musings_  


  
The first human unit to enter combat was the _Kongo_-class destroyer _Kirishima_. Rounding one of the spits of land around Tokyo, it was crewed not by its normal complement of Japanese Maritime Self-Defense Personnel, but by a crew of handpicked Utopia Corporation employees, none of whom had any qualms about the job they had been asked to do. The _Kongo_ class was designed primarily for Air Defense, but orders had come down from on high that her mission would be to hold off enemy aerial units while she and her sister ships closed enough to open fire with her Surface-to-Surface armament, and blow holes through the lightly protected merchant transports.  
_Kirishima_ barely managed to get around the point before the horizon lit up in a spectacular series of crashes and flares of light. Moments later, the USS _Missouri_ made the first surface kill by a battleship since World War II.  
  
When WarGreymon blasted a barricade and sent human bodies flying, Tai's heart leapt, and the fear that he had just decimated part of his own command hurled itself out of the depth of his heart and struck out at him. But then more humans, all wearing unfamiliar gray uniforms, rounded the corner and opened fire with their own assault rifles. The troops and digidestined he had been leading forward returned fire, and soon human bodies on both sides were splayed out, blood running from many wounds. Then WarGreymon ended everything decisively by slamming a huge ball of gold fire down on his enemies.  
I've never had to do that before. WarGreymon murmured.  
Neither have I. Tai looked down, eyes fixing on the spot that, only minutes before, had been a brave twelve-year old boy, and was now only a charred piece of tarmac. But we can't give up because of that.  
I agree. WarGreymon looked up, but the fire in his eyes was dimmed.  
The first enemy tank cranked its way around the corner, and WarGreymon charged forward into battle, claws slashing in the sunlight.  
  
Willis clutched his knees to his body as he hid behind a piece of shattered concrete as gunfire ripped by overhead. Gargomon and Endigomon were doing a good job of exchanging fire with their opponents, but whoever they were kept on firing back. Now gunfire was going both ways, the steady staccato beat of incoming rounds matching the continuous roar of outgoing fire. Next to him he could see soldiers on their side calmly engaging the enemy. It was strange, but Willis recollected that this was what they had been trained for after all, and it was up to the IDEF to keep pounding away at the enemy digimon.  
We've cleared the first row. Gargomon yelled as he leapt up and into the second story window of a nearby apartment building, taking a quick glance around and jumping down before enemy fire could localize on his position. But they're still shooting pretty hard from the second.  
So what's the plan? Willis turned around to look behind him.  
Kari, who was standing behind Willis, closed her eyes for a moment, trying to remember the plan. TK says that you should hold here and dig in. Between Team Eagle here, Matt and Tai to the northwest, and everyone else clustered in the middle, we control most of the central portion of Tokyo seaside. We're right in the middle of them, so they have to come to us. The idea is that we hold them off for as long as we can, while the others try to sweep around and relieve us.  
Some plan. Willis remarked. He peered down the streets and considered it for a few moments. It was not as bad as it first appeared. Everyone in his team was hunched down behind something solid to give cover, and they had people in the tall buildings around them. This particular stand of edifices reached up to twelve stories, but the buildings around them fell off, as if they were withdrawing from the minor majesty of these lords of the terrain. That meant that they could see anyone coming from the top of their buildings, and meet them on the ground with all the force they could bear.  
Can you do it? Kari asked.  
Do I have a choice? Tell TK we'll hold here, but I don't know how long we can hold for.  
  
Mimi watched the situation unfold tensely from the control tower at Narita International Airport, the darkened glass windows looking out at a scene from a horror movie. Burning pieces of wreckage were everywhere, and bodies lay haphazardly on the ground, but veteran workers were already clearing them, manhandling them if necessary, tossing everything off the runways.   
And there came the first one, a huge 767 commercial passenger jet, still carrying Korea Air logos, wings almost drooping as if the three hour holding pattern it had held off the Japanese coast had exhausted it. But the plane came in fast and furious, leveling off just as it hit the runway, and gradually slowing to a stop. There was a screech from the tires as the pilot pressed back on the brakes slightly more than he had before, but all in all it looked like a good landing.  
Almost before he had stopped veteran aircrew from the Korean Air Force had rushed over, moving platforms and ladders into place at all the exits. The first troops of the second wave scrambled down onto the broken and bleeding tarmac of Narita, this group holding three companies of regulars from the Republic of Korea Army, troops who dashed immediately onto the ground, hard boots scraping the ladders as they did so. Even before they could unload all their people there was another long roar and screech as a second jet, this one bearing the logo of the ANA skidded to a halt on an adjacent runway.   
It looks like we're doing all right. Lilymon remarked from next to Mimi as she watched the unloading with her huge eyes.  
They don't seem to know what we're up to yet. Mimi remarked, watching the skies. She was not the only one, and she could see with her own eyes at least a dozen sentries standing, watching for any signs of enemy attacks. Rosa was out in the nearby countryside somewhere, making sure that the area was clear, or at least clear enough so that nobody would report the massive airlift back to the enemy's central command, wherever that was. I just feel bad at being out of the fight.  
Yes, but someone has to do this. Lilymon pointed out logically.  
I know. I just hope the others are all right.  
  
The Vilemon and the Flymon who had been filling the skies tried to escape, but it was already too late.  
Gate of Destiny! MagnaAngemon's arm moved with circular precision, and the glowing magenta blade cut out a circular patch of air, turning it into the familiar golden door that slowly cracked open. Winds from beyond the realm of earth and fire reached out and seized the fleeing digimon in clamps of steel and iron, slowly and inexorably leashing them and pulling them into the void. Even the few Ultimates left in the battle found themselves pulled, no matter how hard they fought, until they disappeared into the abyss.  
Thanks TK. Sora and Garudamon pulled up next to him, wings pumping huge amounts of air past TK's head. They looked worn, but they still looked tough. I'm glad you made it here in time. It was getting a little rough. I think we're about ready to revert to rookie here.  
No you're not. TK corrected. The transformation you underwent ought to keep that from ever happening again. Unless you get really battered.  
Sora asked.  
Didn't anyone tell you? TK sounded surprised.  
Shouldn't you have done that? Yolei and Silphymon had come up beside them to join the argument.  
I had a lot on my mind. TK groused. But now that you know, you should probably get back to work.  
Where do you want us? Sora asked, taking a quick glance at the battlefield to take in her surroundings. Everything looked so different now. Instead of the clear, crisp silver and steel skyline of Tokyo rising towards the sun there were huge pillars of smoke and massive areas of shattered buildings and broken decorations, parks that looked now more like tilled earth than green stretches in a monotonous cityscape. It was hard to believe that this was Tokyo.  
Sora, I want you to take the center. I'll send Kari there, and the two of you ought to be able to hold it against all comers, especially with the help of the European Legion. Yolei, I'm sending you to find Cody. Get him out of the ocean, we should have the covered by now. You and he are to go back up Willis, he's should be somewhere in the southern section, but I don't know exactly where. Tai is holding the northern section, and we're sort of thin there, so I'm sending Matt to back him up. I'll be somewhere in the center with Joe, serving as the central command post. Sounds like a plan. Any idea how long we have to wait? Sora asked.  
Not a clue. TK responded. It depends on how long it takes our reserves to offload, and to cut through the enemy to relieve us. Right now though, it's just us.  
  
Kari and Angewomon crashed through one of the upper skylight windows that had just been installed in Tokyo Central Station. The mammoth building was now the main IDEF fortress, sitting directly in the enemy's path of attack. Already the building was under constant attack from a variety of different directions.  
So what's the situation? Daniel asked as Kari slid to a halt.  
Not good. Kari responded. We're sort of stuck with each other for duration. At least until someone can make it here and rescue us. As if to punctuate her words, a rattle of gunfire broke through the windows in one of the offices upstairs, causing Daniel to wince involuntarily.  
We can hold here for a long time. Daniel replied after a moment, thunder ringing in his ears as Deltamon moved to counterattack. We've got people all up and down the station and the hotel and in the underground mall so we can pretend we've got a castle and hide out here for a while, but I don't know how long it will be before they bring up heavy reinforcements.  
Hopefully a long time. Kari looked pensive for a moment, but then snapped out of her thoughtful mood. But we're never that lucky.  
Garudamon appeared briefly outside, and an unlucky Bakemon patrol was almost instantly reduced to ash drifting in the wind, but Garudamon was only barely able to avoid the pair of missiles from some unknown launcher that looped up to chase the Ultimate. On her back, Sora was still clinging, as if a single jerk of those massive wings would knock her loose. In the next moment she was out of view, and someone on the south end of things started screaming.  
Are you all right Kari? Angewomon asked, sounding concerned.  
Kari answered truthfully. If you had asked me two years ago if I knew what being a digidestined meant, I would have told you that I did. I never thought we would end up here, fighting a war in our own country, against our own people. I never thought that it would look like this. But we never get to choose our wars, when it comes down to it. And by the time we understand what we're being asked to do, it's always too late to back out.  
We'll get through this. Angewomon reminded her young charge. We always do after all.  
I know. I just don't want to know the price. Kari closed her eyes a moment and drew in that faint sense of nostalgia, letting her mind return to the present. All right, I guess we better break up any attack they send at us.  
  
Tai carefully counted down on his fingers, three, two, one and then nodded as the last finger went down. WarGreymon, who had been crouching silently beside the wall, lashed out with both legs, and the concrete crumbled under the impact, blasting inwards as if it had only been paper. Before the dust cleared and the pieces settled on the ground five digimon, Meramon and Musyamon, charged inside, fists and swords striking with uncanny speed, confusing an already confused situation. When WarGreymon and a dozen human soldiers rushed in, guns blazing and razor-sharp claws flashing in the pale light of the enclosed building, the fight inside ended in a flurry of screams, explosions and yells.  
Tai rushed in after them, and quickly saw that everyone was still there. WarGreymon, panting just a little, was trying to shake the discarded data of a digimon off of his claws. One of their friendly digimon had de-digivolved, but was otherwise looking quite all right, if a little shaken. A few humans were tending minor cuts here and there, or reloading weapons as they gazed out through the crowded windows at the street below.  
All right. Tai reported through his D3 to Matt. We cleared out the sniper nest watching over the square. Are we still clear to retreat?  
Oh, we're just fine. Matt drawled back, his dry sarcasm reassuring through the heat of battle and the constant sound of explosions around them. Everything's just great. We've got the tea on too; you want us to save you a cup?  
Nah. Dig some sake up or something. Tai shook his head at the ease that Matt was presenting. He did not know what the blonde digidestined actually felt, but the reassurance and the sense of friendship, the faint hint that he was watching everyone else's back, was calming everyone down. But are we clear?  
As clear as you're going to get. There are still a few fast squads running around that I don't think we've gotten yet, but you're pretty clear. That is, _I_ can't see anyone. If they see you, _you_ might see them.  
Thanks Matt. You're a lot of help. Tai shook his head, and an imaginary fist at his second in command.  
Just get your butt back here in one piece. And don't bother us again. We're busy. Ishida out. Matt 'hung up' on the other end of the line.  
What now? One of the soldiers asked.  
Well, we've cleared everyone who was attacking our position. But it's only a matter of time before we attract a somewhat heavier attack. Tai shrugged nonchalantly, aware of how much more destruction he had seen than the brave people surrounding him. So we dig in and let them come to us. No need to hurry things up, right?  
He glanced back at the city as his people prepared to move out and watched Tokyo begin to burn.  
  
Kachina Bombs! Razor-edged disks flared out into the city, relentlessly chasing down the view digimon who had broken off the assault seconds ago. Between Shakkuomon and Endigomon ambushing the attackers from heavily fortified positions built into the rubble around the first street they had held, and the concentrated fire from a battalion of Chinese troops who had come up on their flank, the attackers had broken off their offensive against Team Eagle's position for a time.  
Well, it looks like we're all still here. Willis looked around at the tall blonde boy standing behind him, who had removed his hat and was fanning himself with it. So what's up?  
I wanted to see how dug in you were. TK replied honestly. He was sweating from his run across uneven ground, all the way from his main command post back at the center. And I wanted to show you what's going on.  
Cody and Yolei had gathered around the two of them while they were talking, and TK took a moment to take out a small tourist-type map of Tokyo, with blue and red lines scratched in near the gentle curve of Tokyo bay. There was a huge curve of blue near the center of the city, as if the ocean had spilled over just a bit, swamping part of the downtown area.  
Here you are, covering the southern approaches to Ginza, and the area falling back to the sea in the south. TK pointed at the southern side of the bulge. And here's Tai and Matt, who are actually still advancing to the north, trying to break enemy concentrations before they can push us back into the bay. The real problem is the center. Here his finger came to rest on the deepest part of the blue bulge, where it reached out as if stretching toward the ground of the Imperial Palace and the heart of the city. City center. It's the heart of the city in terms of transportation, especially if they want to secure the beach and keep us from landing. Kari and the London team have secured Tokyo station, slap-bang in the middle of where they want to go, and that's going to cause some major problems. They want that back, and they're already starting to hit it with everything they've got.  
Conversely, we've got to hold that center if we really want a chance at this. If I were them I would try to surround the center buildings completely, which means that they've got to attack through the Shimbashi area, which means that they're going to walk right past here. I don't want them to get through. You're to hold here until Lionheart, and the units landed near Yokohama, manage to break through to your command. Do not let them separate you from the center. Got it?  
Got it TK. Willis nodded as he considered the size of the task that TK had just handed him. It was indeed formidable, but it was not impossible, and his mind was already leaping ahead. We can keep the southern flank in line, and we'll do our best to keep them away from that station.  
TK looked back north. I'm needed back at the center. Good luck.  
  
General Alexander stormed ashore at one of the few intact piers that they had managed to seize on the coastline at the center of the city. Behind him a solid contingent of three hundred troops and digidestined rolled off of the flat bottomed boat that had brought him in. Now the heavy equipment was starting to arrive behind him. Samuel Hayes had disappeared somewhere in the crunch to help unload his armored battalions. His troops were already fighting on the seaside, over the broken and unburied bones of dying buildings and people, but he was trying to get his vehicles unloaded, and move his big guns into position.  
Fancy seeing you here. Colonel McLeod was still there, blackened face covered with sweat tracks, but he saluted as if he was standing in pristine uniform in the middle of the academy. I hope everything went well with your trip.  
Something must have, we got here after all. So, how fast are we disembarking? Alexander looked around at the bustle of activity, blotting out the hollow booms of heavy guns exchanging fire that sounded like it was coming from across the street.  
As fast as humanly possible. We lost some transports up north when they made a surprise foray into the middle, but all the rest of us are still here, ready and accounted for. McLeod gestured to where three different gun batteries had set up, visible over the heads of moving people a block away. But it's the kids who are doing the most work now. It's really all up to them.  
  
Hiroaki Ishida flattened himself against the wall as a salvo of gunfire passed him by, close enough to send shards of concrete rattling over the walls. The rough concrete of the tunnel pressed against his back as he hunched there, safely around the edge of a corner, invisible in the darkness of the underground. He had lost sight of Jim, and if that was not bad enough, they seemed to have him pinned down inside the tunnels and he had no idea where he was. He was not even sure who they were, as he had not stuck his head around the corner. Occasionally he used his stolen handgun to fire a round or two around the corner to keep whoever was behind him from getting too eager to find him, but that was about it.  
Professor Takenouchi crunched down through the broken glass on the floor, wincing at the sound of gunfire, and crouched down next to the news reporter.  
Where are we? Ishida asked, calmly reloading the gun in his hand. The motion was automatic, a leftover from a few years working the foreign news desk overseas, but the lack of a full set of magazines in his backpack disturbed him.  
Right at the university. Professor Takenouchi looked grim, but he was not giving way yet. That heartened Mr. Ishida some. We can get in there, and probably get away from our pursuers.  
How do we do that? Hiroaki asked, snapping a bullet around the corner to insure the privacy of the conversation.  
The university is huge. If we hole up in one building it will take them forever to search everywhere. We'll have a pretty good chance of getting away from them.  
Great. How do we get away?  
We're next to one of the chemistry buildings. They have an underground doorway here, but the door is from the old days when they used to do high energy experiments in the basement. It's five centimeter thick steel plate. Whoever is behind us will take some time to break through that. Noriko and the rest of the digidestined are holding it open for us. Mr. Takenouchi brushed the sweat-laden hair out of his forehead.  
Well, it's better than nothing. Hiroaki remarked. You know, my Dad once gave me some good advice. I didn't listen to him though.  
What did he say? Professor Takenouchi checked his six nervously.  
Never have children. Hiroaki shook his head and snorted. How did my kids get me into this? I could have been in a nice, comfortable coffin without them. Well either waylet's charge!  
He emptied a good part of his pistol back around the corner and ran off after the sprinting university professor.  
  
So what's up? Willis flippantly asked the towering Endigomon.  
Are you trying to make everything into a joke? Endigomon asked tartly, staring at the sky for a few moments and then shrugging. I see nothing in the sky.  
Thank God for small favors. Willis brushed some of the dirt off of his hands and let it fall to the ground. He had only been to Japan a relative handful of times before, and this experience was shaping up to be the worst visit in his life.  
Fortunately, everything had fallen quiet, at least for the intervening moments. Time was passing with glacial slowness, so slow that Willis swore he could have counted a hundred seconds before the dirt he had brushed off his hand fell to the ground, but every moment of peace and quiet seemed a godsend. It also made the hairs on the back of his neck stand on end. He knew that there were hundreds of humans and digimon lurking around in the ruins in front of him, each one trying to kill him. But for now they were staying ominously silent.  
See anything? Cody asked, skidding up behind Willis.  
they're running around down there somewhere, but there's only occasional shooting. Willis shrugged and waved Endigomon back to cover. It looks like they're hesitant to attack.  
TK predicted it. Cody reported, trying to shake some of the dirt out of his hair. But he didn't predict how long it would last. It looks like everyone else is waiting for the other side to attack. But that favors us, because the more time passes, the luckier we get.  
So we sit here. Willis grumbled. I don't like the fact that we're not moving to support the center, but I guess that it's for the best. Let's just try to hold here for now. At least they aren't throwing the kitchen sink at us yet.  
  
TK sat impatiently on the ground. Right now he was the center. Hundreds, even thousands, of men, women and digimon were waiting for him to make the choice to send them fatally out into battle, or to keep them here, ready for the enemy to come to them. It was a responsibility that he detested, but he understood its importance. Every human, every digimon, every citizen of Tokyo and the world called Earth might very well depend on the mind and skill of the man in charge on the ground. And he knew, intellectually at least, that there was nobody more fit for the job then him. But it hurt to be kept here, waiting for that fatal call, the runner out of breath, throwing the fatal report at him. He yearned, from his gut to his soul, to be out on the front lines.  
Any changes? TK asked Joe for the umpteenth time in the past few minutes.  
Joe did not even look up. He was busy trying to remove a metal splinter from the side of a Gazimon that two heavier orderlies were holding down. His tweezers barely shook as he answered properly and correctly. TK, trust meI would tell you if anything happenedall right?  
I know. I knowit's just that, well, I never wanted this. I never wanted to get stuck with command of this operation.  
Did anybody? Joe asked rhetorically, emerging with the splinter, a long and nasty looking shard of shrapnel, grasped firmly in the tips of his tweezers. He nodded at the orderlies, who began to bandage the wound. With barely a flicker of his hand he threw the splinter away and moved down to the next patient.  
You're really going fast. TK noted.  
That thing with the crest worked. Joe reported. I can actually feel what's wrong with them. It's amazing. I can hardly believe it, yetI have no choice to believe it. The gleam in his eyes could not have been mistaken for the glare off of his glasses. It's amazing how much we've changed, just going through this. Then again, I suppose it's not. We keep saying that, but I don't think that it really is amazing at allwe've been through a lot, but we're doing what any normal human would be doing right now.  
Joe, any normal human would have wet their pants a long time ago. TK grinned at the older digidestined.  
I know. Joe replied gently, seeming wise beyond his years. But they would fight for their homes anyway. Now pass me the scissors.  
TK looked down at the digimon splayed out on the table in front of them and flinched away, handing the scissors over to Joe without trying to figure out what was going on.  
A black-skinned digidestined that TK had never seen before, dressed in loose fitting white clothing rushed up to him and saluted, a gesture that made him look more like a boy scout than a military man. Sir, an urgent report just came in from the center. Sora reports that she can see the enemy massing for an attack back out of sight of Tokyo Station.  
Damn it! TK swore, and rushed for the radio room.  
  
Hunker and down! Daniel yelled from above.  
Kari did not think, and that saved her life. She dived beneath a concrete barrier with Angewomon right behind her. A moment later there was a terrific explosion, and a wave of heat that felt to Kari like she was in the middle of an inferno. Her hair crinkled, like it did if she left the blow drier on too long, and then the blast of flame was over.  
What's up there? Kari asked, trying not to get flamed by the next attack.  
Bad newsAngewomon peered over the top of the embankment and ducked back down. They brought a Diaboromon.  
Oh no Kari's eyes bulged suddenly. Is he alone or  
I saw a lot of other digimon around. It looks like he brought a lot of company with himfor what that's worth. Angewomon pulled a glowing silver arrow out of thin air and pulled herself up over the embankment, sending a single shot sizzling toward their opponents before ducking back down again. I got a MechanorimonI think; but I missed the big fish.  
Kari sat down, hunching even further in the rough shelter of the concrete, trying to figure out a good response to this.  
Suddenly a huge bass voice boomed out a deep throated challenge right on top of them, the echoes penetrating even into the ground floor.  
mode change toFighter Mode!  
It's all yours ImperialDramon! Davis's voice broke in as he and Ken crunched down in the broken pavement right outside the door Kari was supposed to be guarding. Behind them ImperialDramon rumbled into battle, his blue shield held before him like that of a knight, every step of the tree-trunk legs shaking the very earth.  
It's about time somebody showed up! Kari yelled. It's getting uncomfortable in here y'know!  
Sorry we're late. Ken scampered agilely over the wall. Traffic was just horrible.  
And we couldn't find your favorite kind of pizza. Davis shrugged. What is it with people these days?  
Kari rolled her eyes. It was good to be back with friends.  
Angewomon stuck her head out again and winced, ducking back down.  
What's happening out there? Kari asked.  
It's messy. Angewomon shook her head, nearly hitting Ken in the face with her long blonde hair.  
Aren't you worried? Kari asked Davis.  
Davis shrugged with his usual devil-may-care grin. We'll take that turkey.  
Nothing to worry about. Ken reported, still panting.  
All right. ImperialDramon boomed from outside. Who else wants some?   
Lots of people, pal. Ken closed his eyes and rubbed his temples. Lots of people.  
  
Tai, they're not hitting us. WarGreymon reported, peering through the broken window above Tai's head out at the city at large. Smoke, columns of it billowing from shattered vehicles and burning structures was obscuring most of the view, but Mega level digimon were equipped with senses beyond those of normal humans. Tai could feel it too, perhaps through his connection to WarGreymon, a bad feeling that something was moving around them. But it was not moving towards them, and that worried the leader of the digidestined more than even he cared to admit.  
Matt, we have a problem. Tai spoke into his D3.   
What else is new? Matt cracked back. From the various grumbling sounds in the background he was still in the same place, ensconced with the same people. That meant he was about a block east of Tai's position.  
I think they've started avoiding us. Tai reported grimly. I'm seeing a lot of people moving over towards the center.  
So the squirt was right. Matt considered that for a moment. They're going to hit the station with everything they've got.  
Got a good way around this one? Tai asked.  
What say we go crash their party? Matt replied calmly.  
I thought you'd never get around to suggesting that. Tai shook his head and grinned his good old fashioned devil-may-care grin. What do you have to say to that TK?  
You're going to hit them in the side? TK sounded resigned.  
Of course. Matt laughed. What else would we do?  
I should have known. Try not to endanger your own team. Good luck Tai. TK cut off the link, clearly going to pay attention to something else.  
All right WarGreymon. Tai leapt onto the Mega's broad back. Let's go hurt somebody.  
You got it. WarGreymon rumbled, and then launched himself out of the window.  
It was odd in the middle of the war, but all that Tai could feel himself was the wind rushing through his hair, the exhilaration he always felt when WarGreymon took to the skies and the ground fell away beneath them. There was the familiar blast as cold air hit him in the face, burning through his nostrils and waking him up. For a moment he could feel himself at peace.  
Then the columns of smoke reasserted themselves. WarGreymon banked sharply as something that sounded like a machine gun began to chatter in their direction, and then there were bolts of fire lifting off the ground, smashing skywards in their general direction as WarGreymon evaded them with the grace of a dancer. Still, sooner or later Tai knew that they would start hitting him, slowing him down and letting more hit him.  
Ice Wolf Spikes! MetalGarurumon's missile ports opened up and a veritable storm of steel and cold fire broke over the enemy. Positions that had been busy firing at the red and gold warrior had missed the blue and silver wolf barreling over the horizon, and now they paid the price for revealing their positions.  
Hey Matt! Tai called out as soon as the blonde digidestined got close enough to hear him. How about we take a few chunks out of their flank? He pointed down where the hints of repeated movement revealed dozens of digimon trying to sulk their way through the crowded streets.  
In answer MetalGarurumon let go of another blast of missiles, each individual projectile hunting down another target in the sequence. Digimon screamed as those relentless hunters zeroed in on them, and then they died.  
Make a hole! Tai yelled, and then the two of them blasted into the middle of the enemy column.  
  
Jim awoke to searing pain. It burnt through him as if he was on fire, reaching down with dread tentacles to awaken every cell in his body. His mind screamed, his brain no longer under his control, acting in response only to the most primal of all stimuli, and his cultured self reeled under the barrage. It was all he could do to see, let alone to understand what the source of this agony was. But even then he could sense that something was wrong with his left arm.  
He stared down and was hard pressed, even in his current state, not to retch in horror over the piece of shredded meat and bone that, scant moments ago had been his left arm. There was nothing left worth saving from the elbow down and his mind recoiled from the shocking realization that a literal piece of him was gone forever.  
Still, he was enough of a doctor to understand that he was going to bleed to death. The room was burning around him, and here he was, his life fluid slowly leaking out of him through the shredded remains of his own body.   
He grunted, and with an effort that he would have never suspected himself of being able to put out, crawled over to the nearest fire, and jammed his stump of an arm into the flame.  
  
Fire Mission! Sonja yelled into her D3. Give me fifty rounds of the eighty-one on target seven!  
The Russian sergeant on the other end of the line confirmed everything quickly, and then dropped off the network.  
Ten of the eighty-one millimeter mortars currently assigned to the penetration team coughed up, and seconds later a fresh bloom of explosions walked across the tall, imposing concrete structure of the ruined office building. Then came another wave of fiery roses, then another and another until  
Target has ceased fire. Someone from the forward elements reported.  
We're moving forward. That sounded like Yuri in the fore, moving cautiously through broken ground with the most experienced of the Russian digidestined and the Pathfinders from the airborne division. everybody down! A series of explosions interrupted the transmission.  
What was that? Sonja asked.  
Mortar battery. That was Anna, still in the air with their aerial team. We'll take 'em.  
Pinned down again? Sergev asked, the frustration in his voice threatening to break lose over the nearby people.  
Sonja sighed. This is really slow going.  
I know. Sergev rolled his eyes. The first eleven kilometers had been easy enough, with only occasional fire from wayward dark digimon. With the help of every part of the Japanese public transit system that they could steal, the forward elements had managed to get within four kilometers of the center of the city before they ran into the real opposition. Snipers in the buildings, hordes of screaming shapes that appeared out of the night, artillery and mortars adding their voices to the unearthly chorus, all of it added up to a horrible mess through which they had to move. The effect was similar to having your road turn into a swamp, progress became slow as more and more time was spent rooting out enemy positions instead of moving forward.  
We're moving at less than a kilometer an hour. Sonja raged.  
Sergev checked his watch. It was already ten thirty-seven.  
  
Willis watched with some anticipation as his digital watch ticked over the eleven o'clock mark, and then sighed in relief. He had expected somewhere deep inside him for the enemy attack that was surely coming to materialize at some particular mark in time, and eleven sounded like a nice round number. But nothing appeared, and only the moans of those already injured and the occasional distant explosion marked the passing of the hours.  
If he had any water left in his body after sweating so much of it out, Cody might have wet his pants. It was hard to figure out what was going on now, and where his friends were. About an hour ago they had heard the impact of dozens of heavy explosions over near the center and Tokyo Station, where Kari, Ken and Davis were reported to be hiding. Whatever that attack had planned to accomplish, it had died off about fifteen minutes after it started.  
But no news had come from that sector. Cody believed that if anything had happened to one of his friends, he would have heard, but he was worried now, hearing nothing from anybody. The silence was atypical for Tokyo, no cars honking, no sound of the ordinary life in the Metropolis. All the citizens cowered in their basements, leaving the industrial and commercial sectors of town nearly uninhabited. But it was the lack of news, not the local silence that unnerved him, the fact that he knew that some of his friends had just fought for their lives, or perhaps were still fighting, and he neither knew anything about it, or could do anything about it. There was only the continuing, never-ending pounding waves of fear that emanated from his gut and threatened to paralyze his body.  
Armadillomon came up to him and quietly tried to restore some of the smaller boy's confidence, but there was little he could do.  
The dull thud of heavy artillery shattered Cody's inner thoughts, followed almost just as quickly by a warning shout from Maria, who was stationed on a tall building some distance away. Cody threw himself and Armadillomon into the concrete shelter that had been meticulously built out of the rubble in the gap in the battle.  
A huge salvo of artillery fire landed almost fifty meters behind their position. Then, as the dust was still rising in the air and the rubble was still raining down around them, five hundred Champion and Ultimate digimon emerged from enemy territory and charged straight at them.  
  
We're still engaged all along the center. It's really slowing things down. Kari noted clinically. TK nodded curtly at this report, trying to ignore the flutter in his heart as he listened to the continual sounds of fighting directly behind her. Everything was being continuously engaged right now. From Willis on the south swinging around the semi-circular arc they had cut out of Tokyo to Tai and Matt's section in the northwest, fighting had broken out everywhere. The enemy did not come as smart as they might, but there were a lot of them, digimon and human alike, and they were determined, TK would give them that. Vicious street-fighting, encounters taking place by soldiers so close they could touch their enemies, all these things dominated several kilometers of front line spread out all over the city.  
Heavy artillery positioned in the center of friendly positions slaughtered enemy units in the open. Enemy artillery, apparently cited in Utopia Corporation's buildings all over Tokyo returned the favor. It was disintegrating into a huge bloody mess. And Sergev still had not managed to break through. Neither had their other trump card come into play yet.  
  
What the hell? General Alexander and General Hayes, manning the computerized sand table at GHQ, stared at each other in utter disbelief.  
That's what they said sir. The flag lieutenant they had stolen from the _Stennis_ saluted again, fighting the urge to lose his poker face. He was not winning that particular battle.  
Someone better tell wonder boy. Hayes stared in disbelief at the message.  
Alexander rolled his eyes and signaled to their signalman, an eight year old boy with a D3 and a small digimon that stared curiously at the screens. Uh TK, we may have a small change in the plan.  
What is it? TK snapped. The last hour had not been easy on him.  
Well remember how you said the whole world would rise against the darkness? Alexander asked carefully.  
TK sounded testy.  
it appears that the rest of the world is here a little ahead of schedule. Ummdo we have a nice open space like a park that isn't in the middle of a firefight?  
  
Kari, dirty with a rip in both sleeves of her shirt, hugged the ground inside the station, ignoring the grimy feel of the dirty and dusty concrete pressing against her. It had been a dark day, and it was getting darker. The attack had broken over them like a tidal wave. Magnificent in its fury, artillery had swept over them, deafening every human on the premises with its deep-throated roar. It had not actually had much effect since almost everybody was under cover, but it had been impressive. Then humans and digimon appeared screaming out of the bedlam and blasting their way toward the station. Many perished in their charge, but others found cover and began the long firefight that had been raging for the past hour.  
Davis and Ken looked pretty grim too. They were conscious of the fact that all three of them were of little use here, except that their digimon were the cornerstones of the defenses at the station. They could not abandon their friends, and they dared not turn their back on their foes. So they were here, in their own little slice of hell, filled with the shattered glass that flew through the air, and the shards of concrete that tore through their flesh and the dirt that got everywhere.   
Their world had narrowed to the front door, which their digimon along were holding. Sounds from fighting at other corners of the building filled their ears, the smell of gunpowder and fire filled their noses. But they could do nothing about any of that. Their only world consisted of that door, and the various other life and death struggles that nearly tore the building apart were none of their business. Still, the feeling of helplessness refused to go away.  
TK had been their constant companion. His voice, reduced by the emotional stress to a single monotone, had called down artillery strike after artillery strike, shells sending the earth fountaining up into the atmosphere. A steady of rain of high explosive shells had kept their enemies at bay, creating a curtain of fire between them and their enemies, but now there was something happening with him. He was yelling at someone, something was happening, but it was so hard to tell what.  
  
Where are we? Hiroaki asked Professor Takenouchi.  
The telecommunications building. The professor answered shortly. They were all gathered there, parents, digidestined, police and some of the ghostbusters. Not many though. Jim was still missing. Frightened people hunched over the electronics in the narrow rooms that they had picked to hide in. We're in the control stations, way down in the bowels of the building. It will take them forever to find us here.  
One of the graduate students smirked at that, shaking dust out of his hair as he surveyed the scene. Mr. and Mrs. Kamiya huddled closer together. Noriko appeared to have fallen asleep on her feet. But there was something else. Deep inside Hiroaki Ishida's heart, in the place where everything he had ever done resided, something glimmered briefly and, for a few moments, looked like hope.  
The telecommunications building. He repeated the statement, but it was obvious that he was actually thinking of something else, something important as his eyes unfocused. He was a newsman. It had been his life, and probably had cost him his marriage. But he was a good newsman. He had known the power of knowledge, and information, in a way that even his digidestined children never got around to understanding. Peoplepeople were power, and information caused people to act, so information was power. But only if you did something with it. Can we access the transmission systems?  
One of the graduate students responded, looking at Mr. Ishida in surprise. We could manage to hijack a carrier wave or two, get on the main transmission lines forsay television. Why?  
Have you ever heard of the power of the press? Hiroaki Ishida asked, and the light in his eyes began to grow.  
  
Unknown to TK, to General Alexander or to most everyone else on the task force that was even now fighting for its life in the middle of Japan, the whole world had been watching them. There was no news directly from the front of course, but people were speculating. Most of the minor television stations were still suffering from the lack of centralized control from their broadcast headquarters, but the vast array of satellites, television studios and transmission systems was still intact. All over the world work had ceased as in million of villages and cities people huddled around every available television set that they could find. They stared at the screens, trying to draw extra meaning from every word that military and political analysts gave. Everyone knew that something was going on in Japan, but nobody could say what.   
Most of the information that the remaining military command centers received from the battle zone was delivered to their intelligence centers from a source named Helios Ascendant. The picture it painted was so dire as to be unbelievable, but there was nothing else to react on. Central commands in most militarized nations was still destroyed, but phone calls from various generals had filled the phone lines, asking the same question over and over: _What_ _are _you_ going to do about it?_ The responses had been inventive, varied, and often unprintable, but now it was clear that the showdown to end all showdowns was underway. In the end the answer had changed and shifted until it was the only one it could ever be.  
The first help to arrive had managed to get repaired scant hours earlier. Pope Air Force Base in the United States had been pretty heavily hit by digimon on day one, but its mechanics were determined, and had the time to work thanks to the IDEF. Hours before the invasion, the first of the huge transports was winging its way off the ground. Before the first fingers of the dawn of battle touched Tokyo, the entire 82nd Airborne Division was in the air and on their way. Other planes followed in their wake, rising from a hundred airfields in a dozen countries.  
All around the world people followed these updates urgently, watched colonels who just a week ago were forgotten in the press of military bureaucracy attempt to restore faith in their militaries. They watched interviews with people whose relatives, whose children, had left to go into what was being called the Shining Legions, and waited with hope in their heart. And they prayed.  
In the empty sky over Shinjuku's huge main park the sky began to fill with parachutes.  
  



	26. Helios Ascendent

Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon: Digital Monsters.  
  
**

Episode L  
Helios Ascendant  
  


** Fire and death danced around the lines drawn through the heart of the city. Where once flowed people in a steady stream, the living breathing heart of the great city of Tokyo convulsed like a beast in agony. Buildings designed to withstand earthquakes rocked under the steady rolling bombardment of artillery fire, of digimon roaring and screaming at their opponents, or blasts of light and ice and other elements that passed through the cityscape like wayward stars.  
Beyond that, nobody could understand anything.  
Tai understood that as the world dissolved yet again into clouds of billowing smoke. Rounds of heavy weapons fire continually punctuated the screaming of the city, but beyond that there was no noise to reveal what was happening around them. WarGreymon crept along with him, the two of them forming a stealthy team of razor-sharp death and destruction. Behind them, the smoldering piles of discarded data marked the presence of those who had, at the end, had not understood the peril that the two of them meant. It was taking time, and a lot of it, for them to break through the hordes of randomly milling digimon marking the dedicated assault on the center, but, like an onion, Tai and WarGreymon were slowly peeling back the layers.  
He knew nothing, but he could still hope. He could hope and believe in the confidence that every digimon that he took out while they were still here was yet another digimon that would not assault the center, where his sister was still barely holding. Every figure that died at the hands of those sharpened steel claws was another life that would not stain his sister's hands.  
In the darkness between worlds, fighting from the shadows, braving the fires of hell that had descended upon his city, Tai kept the flame of hope and courage alive within himself and pressed gamely onward.  
  
Harmonious Spirit! Shakkuomon roared, and the beams of light carved great gashes through the smoke that covered the battleground. Something screamed, the scream cut off short as the beams found their target, and Cody was mildly surprised that he felt nothing. There was nothing left for him to feel, it seemed. Too many days in the heat of battle had reduced his innocence to little more than a pile of cinders, and his fingers gripped the familiar hilt of his sword. Steel flared in the darkness briefly, and then he was forward, the Vilemon who had sought to take the battlement by force screaming backward from that glowing avenger. Then it disappeared in a shower of data as a soldier drew a bead on it and blasted it from the world.  
Cody sighed a little and watched the battle wind down. The enemy was possessed of what his grandfather would have called a fine spirit, but even they were not fanatics. The prospect of charging over the cleared thoroughfare, through the fire of both Shakkuomon and Silphymon and Team Eagle, and then storm a battlement built and held by the determined soldiers of the American 16th and the Chinese 51st divisions was not something that they were interested in. They still took potshots at anything they thought a reasonable enemy, but for the most part they huddled in place and attempted to keep their heads down.  
A breath of fresh wind blew in from the sea, bringing with it the scent of rocket exhaust and gunpowder from the day long bombardment of the shore. With it came the roar of jet fighters screaming aloft, going to support the beleaguered center. The smoke, hanging in the air, dissolved almost as if it had been poured in water.  
For a moment Cody could look down the ruined boulevard all the way to the Tokyo Tower, looming as it was directly nearby. For a moment he saw a figure that looked like Master Ishiguro jump down from the support and disappear into the chaotic rubble, but then the smoke swept in and everything was hidden in darkness.  
  
We finally managed to restore satellite communications. Willis reported to TK. With Izzy and Ken both busy in other parts of the battlefield, he was the only technical genius close enough to come to TK's rescue, and Michael was adept at running Team Eagle in his absence. It wasn't too hard, but I won't bury you in the details. Here's the rundown. It's not just us, the whole world's fighting him. Willis unconsciously used the same terms that Tai had years ago.   
How many? TK asked, staring down.  
Well, the Chinese, the Koreans and the Europeans were already in on it, but the Indians just started moving up. They can't send much, but what soldiers they can send are already on the way. More importantly their air force is on the way, along with the Pakistani one. And miraculously, they haven't been taking pot shots at each other. The Israelis managed to send several squadrons of fighters to do the same thing, but they don't have much military strength ready to deploy overseas. The Russians still do though, and they're bringing it all, everything they can cram on those planes is already on its way over. The Americans are doing the same thing. Beyond themwell, every army on earth is sending troops of some sort. I guess this extra-dimensional invasion just made local politics take a distinct back seat.  
Where are they headed? TK asked, trying to count things off on his fingers.  
Since we managed to establish communications, everyone is headed straight for Narita International Airport. Willis traced the outline of the airport on the map with his finger. That includes fighters who are going to be in need of refueling.  
Rosa's on the fuel situation. I'm confident that the pipelines will be ready before anyone can seriously show up. How's the situation elsewhere in Japan?  
Osaka has already been liberated. General Alexander reported. But we only had paratroops enough to hit one non-Tokyo target, and that was it. Ships will be offloading the first Chinese regiment there tomorrow, but until then, there's not much we can do.  
With elements of an American airborne division on the ground in Shinjuku, it may be possible to do a triple surround of the center. Alexander pointed.  
That's how they're reacting certainly. TK stared. So what are they going to do when the real trap opens up on top of them?  
  
The situation grows more dangerous. Bane noted absently.   
I am aware of that. Khartan growled, his legendary rage thwarted by this figure of pitch blackness. Bane had even seemed to grow darker during the long days.  
Nevertheless, you still havea chance. Khartan noted that Bane carefully skipped over using the word hope. Even altogether, their forces cannot possibly take Tokyo away from you for several days. They too are stalled in the middle of the killing zone. It is a matter of attrition, and soon we will not have to worry about that.  
I am committing the rest of the Utopia ground reserves. I had wanted to avoid using the armored columns in the city, but that is now unavoidable. Khartan would have been grinding his teeth, if he had any. Nevertheless, I see this as a necessity.  
I am not here to second guess you. Bane grinned sinisterly in the darkness.  
Good. Now get out there and do something useful.  
  
Kari hunched down in the dirt and sighed. It was difficult to do anything now. The afternoon sun had managed to work its way around, and the building was becoming warm in its own way, removing the freezing concrete that had occupied the lower level, but there was not much else that could be said. A fine cloud of dust hovered above the place where a dozen digidestined were crouched, making it difficult to see and hard to breath.   
Their most precious possession, one that Davis had almost risked his life for, had been several boxes of tissues looted from a nearby store, ones that people were using to blow their noses as the dust got to them. Along with the spoils of a busted vending machine, this was all they had to remind them of a normal life. All around the shattered concrete and jagged edges of the broken-down stairwell were other pockets where other digidestined were hiding, conserving their strength. The wreckage of Tokyo station provided them with enough cover that they were at least out of immediate danger. However, it did not keep them completely safe.  
Digimon from all groups kept a way watch on the exterior from fortified positions, weary yet wary eyes peeled, constantly crossing the horizon, searching for targets that might show themselves. Already more than a dozen attacks had been turned back, but this key position, the heart of the center of their lines, was still under almost constant siege. Fortunately, most of the artillery on both sides was busy shooting at each other, and none of them were wasting any time around here, so the digidestined and their adult counterparts huddled in a tenuous safety in the heart of the enemy offensive.  
We can't do this forever. Ken noted gloomily. Sooner or later they'll wear us down.  
Kari responded, keeping an eye on the white of Angewomon's wings, barely visible from where she was sitting. But sooner or later, if they focus here, everyone else will break through to us. It's just a race against time now. But remember, if worse comes to worse, ImperialDramon can evacuate us all, can't he?  
That was the idea. Davis admitted. But they're shooting the sky up pretty badly out there. I don't know if we can make it through.  
Then we'll have to hold here. Ken replied decisively. We are not going to give in and let the center collapse.  
Not that we ever seriously thought about it. Davis grinned.  
So, anyone up for a good game of tic-tac-toe while we wait? Kari asked, shaking her head at the two of them.  
I know! Davis shouted. Let's play strip poker.  
Davis. You do realize that making the enemy look at YOUR naked body counts as a war crime, don't you? Ken asked.  
Why you Davis growled, leaping at Ken. There was a thump as they rolled over.  
How did I get into all of this? Kari asked herself rhetorically.  
  
More importantly, how do we get them out? TK asked himself. The map he was looking at still marked the fortified buildings in the center as islands of blue in a sea of red. Radio jamming had begun, and somehow Khartan had even managed to jam some D3 communications. They had lost track of Task Force Lionheart somewhere in the static, and were barely in touch with the Narita airlift. Admiral Kelliam had taken several of the warships out of the bay, and was busy fighting a running surface engagement with the Japanese Maritime Self-Defense Force, which appeared to be manned almost entirely by Utopia Corporation employees. Chaos had infiltrated central command in a hundred different guises, and TK yearned to be out on the battleground.  
We don't have the forces in place yet. General Alexander admitted, his eye fixed on where his nephew was currently trapped along with Kari and several other digidestined groups. I don't see what we can do, especially with all those tanks that we've seen heading out way, without  
Message from Izzy! A child TK did not know ran into the command post, waving a piece of paper in one hand. He says that he's in position and beginning the operation.  
What do we do now? Alexander looked around.  
Cross our fingers and pray. TK replied intently.  
  
They brought the whole friggin' army! Michael shouted, ducking back behind a huge concrete wall. Where did they get that?  
The entire avenue he was supposed to be watching over was literally covered in tanks, end to end, and the fire from their main guns was forcing every digimon with an ounce of self preservation to take cover.  
We're not exactly having a joyride over here. Willis reported from where he was crouched behind what had once been a lamppost fixture a few streets over. These guys are everywhere. They must have committed their reserves in full. It's going to be nasty for a while over here.  
Hey Michael. Seadramon turned to his human partner for a moment, a new light in his eyes. Want to see something neat?  
Michael asked testily.  
He breathed out slowly, the freezing breath rolling out of his mouth gently, like a cloud. The ground beneath that cloud froze solid, ice crystallizing on it as the cloud slowly rolled up the street. Michael understood almost immediately what his digimon was trying to do, and held his breath as the pale fog vapors crept up the street, waiting in the face of the roar of tank cannons for that fatal sound.  
Then it came, the squeal of brakes, different for a tracked vehicle, but still there, the scream as metal hit metal and twisted on contact, the warping of steel. Following this came the sudden impacts of other vehicles, twisting and turning as they tried to maneuver around each other. Then the volume of gunfire aimed at the IDEF slacked off as more and more crunches resounded in the streets.  
Man, enemy zero, traffic jams one. It wasn't particularly funny but several of the digidestined deployed around Michael began to laugh. Willis, we've uh temporarily derailed our problem. Do ya'need some help?  
That was Willis sounding calm. Shakkuomon just discovered that he can shoot around corners. It looks like we're doing fine over here. In the background there was a sound similar to what it would sound like to send a dozen or so razor-sharp Frisbees hurtling through the air.   
Well, they hit us, and we're still here. Michael flashed Yolei a thumbs up as the Odaiba digidestined rested. It looks like we're going to be able to do this after all. Let's move it out people.  
  
That could count as a complication. Davis admitted, his eyes wide.   
That's not only a complication. Ken ducked back down. That's a bloody disaster. And we're already tired, all of our digimon are.  
Kari nodded, the fear in her throat closing in on her. It took her no effort to recognize the digimon treading toward them, the light glinting savagely off of ebony steel and polished angles. She had seen it in both her brightest dreams and her worst nightmares, a warrior of blades and fire and steel that loomed at her from beyond the abyss. She had hoped that the creation of the only one she had known had been a unique occurrence, but the grim visage of BlackWarGreymon looming over them, claws extended, quickly dispelled that particular illusion.  
This could be beyond bad. Davis noted. He took a glance over to ImperialDramon fighter mode. The huge Mega was tired, back to the wall. His shield was flickering oddly, as if it too was on its last legs, and he was taking in air in great, huge gulps. The corpses of digimon, tanks and airplanes lay strewn around his position like child's toys thrown carelessly aside by some giant, but they had exacted their toll. The center's greatest defender was approaching exhaustion. Even his bright eyes had dulled, the life slowly draining out of him with each enemy he was forced to fight.  
Even Angewomon looked exhausted. She could draw more power from Kari's crest than ImperialDramon could draw from Ken and Davis combined, but she was using it all. The entire battleground was sheltered under a beneficent aura that she emitted herself, shielding them from the worst of their enemy's attacks. Miracles, both of healing and destruction, had poured forth from her hands, and her voice had directed digimon and human alike in the defense of their impromptu citadel. All that had taken its toll, both on her as a digimon and on her partner, Kari was fairly dropping with exhaustion already.  
How long can we hold him off? Davis asked Ken quietly.  
I don't know. Ken replied seriously. But we have the best shot at it. Kari, if we hold him for some minutes, can you get away? Because we sure can't run away from him by ourselves.  
No good. Kari shook her head, and pointed to where the members of European Legion London were exchanging fire with enemy digimon around their perimeter. I don't know if you've noticed, but we're completely blocked in. Those last dark digimon were just a distraction that they used to surround us. The only way out is right down their throats. They'll cut us to pieces.  
Well, we've got to try something. Ken murmured, but at that moment BlackWarGreymon moved. His arms outstretched, he dove for his opponent, claws widened, but narrowing their angle of approach like an angry pair of jaws.  
ImperialDramon reacted instantly, not by fighting, but by dodging, the power of flight allowing him to simply shift aside as BlackWarGreymon came past, and then slamming one armored fist into BlackWarGreymon from behind. The smaller digimon catapulted into the dust, but erupted from the wreckage a moment later, brimming over with furious anger. He dove for ImperialDramon even faster, and this time the big Mega did not move. Instead he stretched his blue energy shield between his arms and absorbed the attack head on, distorting the shield so that BlackWarGreymon was caught inside it, like a fly caught in a spider's web. Then he slammed his hands together.  
BlackWarGreymon screamed in agony, but even as he did he used his claws to tear what was left of ImperialDramon's shield to ribbons. He broke free in a rush, only to meet the end of ImperialDramon's arm, wielded like a club, swatting him aside. The smaller Mega slammed into a wall, but flexed his legs and took off like a thunderbolt, shooting at ImperialDramon like a bullet. The exhausted warrior tried to get out of the way of his smaller and faster adversary, but misjudged BlackWarGreymon's target. Instead of hitting his enemy dead center, the dark digimon his the legs, sending his ungainly opponent sprawling. But even as that looked like a lethal mistake, ImperialDramon jerked around, somehow landing on one hand, his other hand pointed like an accusing sword. BlackWarGreymon extended his claws and howled like a banshee, unleashing the fullness of his wrath as he soared forward. But ImperialDramon's arm mounted cannon flared, and a beam of light lashed out to meet the smaller digimon.  
BlackWarGreymon howled, and a wave of energy erupted out, whipping up the dust in a storm and forcing the watchers to shield their eyes. When the dust faded, there were two figures standing there. ImperialDramon, exhausted and on his knees, and a slightly injured BlackWarGreymon.  
Let's end this. BlackWarGreymon's eyes gleamed in the sudden silence that their titanic clash had brought.  
ImperialDramon's eyes seemed to narrow in response.  
You can do it! Davis yelled.  
Terra Destroyer! The blast of red energies gathered into a ball hurtled through the air, the aura sizzling and melting the ground near where it passed.  
Positron Laser! ImperialDramon let off a roar that deafened those not already pounded by the sounds of battle. His voice seemed to boom out with a sudden authority, and Ken and Davis felt a renewed surge of hope as the blast of light smashed out, striking through the Terra Destroyer to arrow in at BlackWarGreymon. Then the world dissolved into fire, and chaos enveloped the watchers.  
Slowly, the chaos subsided, the flames and dust storms died down. But the sight they cleared to show was not heartening. There, lying on the ground, clearly injured and exhausted, perhaps beyond reason, were Veemon and Wormmon. On the opposite end of a track blasted clean through the earth was a tottering BlackWarGreymon, his shield held out in front of him. There were a few moments of uncertainty, and then Kari could see cracks develop in the shield, and then huge chunks of the shield began to fall of the side. Moments later the entire artifact disintegrated into nothing more than dust, but all BlackWarGreymon did was laugh.  
You really are fools. But you did cause some damage. It was a good fight. He stepped closer. But it's over now.  
Kari, go and try to get out of here. Angewomon was suddenly there, floating between BlackWarGreymon and his targets. I'll hold him for now.  
Kari began, too exhausted and suddenly worn to even protest correctly.  
Angewomon flashed her a strangely calm grin. Don't worry about me. I'm sure I'll come up with something at the last moment.  
Don't we always. Kari whispered sadly. Don't we always.  
A claw tapped BlackWarGreymon on the shoulder.  
Where I come from, WarGreymon began without preamble. We call what you're going to get a _beatdown_.  
  
Something isn't right. Khartan stared at the map in mounting anxiety. There was something there, something hidden from him. He could almost feel it in the maneuvers of the divinely inspired blonde-haired digidestined, and the implications worried him. It was almost as if  
They are moving rather far on the eastern flank. Bane noticed. We managed to get the power grid back up though, so our surveillance teams are monitoring their progress. It's going according to expectations.  
Where are they going? Khartan angrily smashed his fist into something solid that crumpled like a house of cards. What are they doing?  
I don't know. Bane admitted uneasily. They have set up positions here and here, although I am not sure why, those neighborhoods being in non-strategic locations. Some of their planning is very amateur, so it could be that  
Khartan breathed out suddenly, and his finger darted out, pointing at one particular target that loomed in his vision. You can't let them do that! They can't be trying tostop them!  
Bane also looked taken aback. The fools are smarter than I thought. We can no longer hold alone. I will send for reinforcements.  
It will do little good for me. Khartan snarled. I go to prepare the final breach. Do what you will until then.  
Bane muttered as Khartan disappeared into the black mist surrounding them. Run away and play your little games. You have not the power for this anyway. But I do, and I will use it here. This gambit must not fail.  
He considered the map for a moment and then gave an order, his voice resonating throughout the entire building.  
All units, converge on Highton View Terrace. We'll stop them there.  
  
Well, it's all set up. Professor Takenouchi finished hooking the last few cables in place. I think we're ready. A graduate student that Hiroaki Ishida did not know flipped him a thumbs up.  
Let's do it. The Ichijoujis gave Ishida a nod and a smile.  
Hiroaki Ishida grimaced briefly and stared into the camera that they had set up hurriedly. The movie studio they had was used to produce shows for the local college network, and lacked the usual equipment that Mr. Ishida was used to finding in the grandiose Fuji TV studio. But he had no other alternative. In the end, this would have to do. Now it was all up to him.  
He summoned all the courage and experience that a lifetime working in newsrooms had been able to give him. Despite that his stomach still fluttered, but he called up an image of his two children to given himself strength, and breathed quietly. Then he nodded and the camera flipped on.  
At the same moment a patchwork program hastily written by a dozen graduate students came alive. Television was mostly out throughout the city, the airwaves were filled with static, and the radios were mostly dead. Still, some people, somewhere, were listening, and the world was connected once more. Those people who had been isolated, abandoned by the world at large, were suddenly connected once again as the telecommunications programs cut into all the carrier waves, radio and television that they could find.   
This is Hiroaki Ishida, formerly of the Fuji Television Network. I am broadcasting to you from an undisclosed location. We are being sought out even now, and I do not know how long we can continue broadcasting, but we will repeat this message as often as possible. Call your families, your friends, everyone you know.   
This is the news. Tokyo has been occupied by a being of evil from another world named Khartan, who has taken over the Utopia Corporation. He is powerful. But he is not invincible. Even now a coalition of forces from many different countries is attempting to liberate Tokyo. The battle is fierce. I do not know who has the advantage.  
However, we should not be content to hide behind our allies. Tokyo is a proud city, home of a proud people. It shames our nation that we can no longer defend ourselves. Soldiers and children from a hundred nations are risking their lives to save us from the evil we have helped create. I will not tolerate this. I am calling on you, all of you, to rise up and help throw off our oppressors. To help those truly trying to liberate the city. This is a great moment in history, and I do not intend to sit it out.   
Join us! Help us take back our city, our country, our worldthe future is now in your hands. We must unite, or we will fall forever.  
This message repeats now.  
  
Looks like they figured it out. Izzy looked over at the Scanner that Ken had graciously left him. He smiled to himself. They're too late though.  
It was true that they had been noticed, as Mimi observed with widened eyes. Suddenly the ravaging bursts of red that had filled the monitor, clashing with other marks of blue, had broken off their attack. All of them were now converging on the place where Mimi and Izzy were standing, a giant ring attracted like lodestones to a magnet. But Izzy was still smiling confidently, so things could not be that bad yet.  
_If stones could talk, then these would have tales to tell_, Mimi suddenly realized, that sense of déjà vu sweeping over her again. They were standing astride the footbridge that arched over the main road below. The bridge itself had already been destroyed twice, once by Parrotmon flinging Greymon into it, the second by Mammothmon blasting Birdramon into it. Now two digidestined stood upon it once again, and the fate of the world rested upon its worn surface. How many places had seen such great events pass by it before?  
The ring closed on them fast, the blotches of red accelerating. The blue dots were making up ground too, but it was obvious that the red would get there first. Even as Mimi stood there, uncomfortably aware of how much a target she presented, the first anti-aircraft missiles screamed aloft from the hand-held launchers, rocketing into the air in search of their rapidly approaching targets.  
Lilymon disappeared then, zooming upward, her wings dissolving into the dragonfly glimmer that told her partner that she was going as fast as possible. MegaKabuterimon was already gone, almost out of sight, his huge bulk visible only because Mimi knew which speck in the sky he was. Flying digimon all around them rose into the air, howling battle cries that would have routed most sane beings at the mere sight of their frightful arsenal. Beside them children with faces almost carved out of stone stood waiting, light rising from the digivices in their hands toward heaven like a reversed rainbow.   
Already the first clashes were taking place. Digimon wearing the IDEF banners were diving from unimaginable heights, accelerating to near terminal velocity and using the speed of their strikes to knock the faster enemy digimon out of the air. A Devidramon, which had been rushing toward them collapsed out of the sky as a much smaller Flymon smacked it in the back. A Horn Buster attack silenced a screaming Airdramon before it could get close enough to launch its own attack. More explosions filled the air as the two sides began to clash in the air.  
Mimi could watch them come closer in an inexorable tidal wave. Even as she watched Lilymon took on a trio of Ookuwamon. The three Ultimates were more powerful, but Lilymon was taking advantage of their low altitude, darting in and out of the buildings as the larger digimon crashed behind her. For a moment she would flicker in front of one and it would dive to the attack, giant pincers open in rage and anger. Then there would be a flash of motion, and Lilymon would move almost sideways, ducking into the gap between a pair of buildings, letting the larger flier crash into the ground. While the Ookuwamon was still regaining its bearings, she would dart out, there would be a flare of light, and then the sight of disintegrating digital data.  
Still, the enemy kept on coming, teeth and claws bared as they tightened the ring. Despite the furious fire of the defenders, they were still focused on the center of the affair. They took horrible losses, but they ignored them, pressing on no matter the cost, no matter who got left behind. The enemy commander had finally realized the peril he was in, and had realized where Izzy was.  
Too late.  
Izzy hit a last key on his laptop and the world lit up, a vertical shower of light, in which Mimi could barely see the opening vortex that symbolized the beginning of the end.  
  
Hidden, Khartan reached for the controls to the singularity box. He might have lost his jumping off point, but he was not out of it yet.  
  
Oh hell! TK yelled as his senses suddenly told him the truth of what was coming next. Here comes the hammer!  
What is it? Alexander asked, turning in concern to the blond boy.  
They've just unleashed their trump card. TK gave a quiet smile. All right, everybody, we're in endgame 1. Everybody who has the faintest idea what I'm talking about better hightail it over to Highton View Terrace posthaste.  
TK turned to General Alexander. You're in charge here. There's something I've got to do. That only I can do.  
I see. General Alexander nodded.  
Let's go Joe! TK called into the medical tent as he took off running.  
  
That's our cue! Kari yelled as Angewomon came surfing over. The sudden change in focus of the attack had eased up the pressure on them, but Kari knew that it did not matter anymore. Everything had come down to a head, at Highton View Terrace.  
They're a little exhausted. Ken pointed out, dragging Wormmon along as Angewomon dropped to a lower altitude.  
We don't have a choice! Angewomon called back.  
I know! Davis yelled. That doesn't mean that I don't want to do anything about it, you know!  
Feed them something on the way! Kari jumped into Angewomon's arms. We don't have time for anything else.  
  
Silphymon, cruising at barely subsonic speeds, pulled up behind the rapidly pumping Garudamon, Cody, Yolei and Armadillomon held firmly in his hands.  
I hope TK knows what he's doing. Sora yelled over at them.  
No reason to stop trusting him now! Yolei yelled back.  
Rapidmon shot past them, a golden blur, Airdramon on his tail.  
Let's step on it! Sora screamed. We don't have much time!  
  
With a roar that rattled the walls of the buildings around them, Omnimon stepped down onto the already broken pavement, clawed feet digging deep into the ground. Crimson and pristine white swirled in the air as his cape opened up, and the runes on his burnished sword glowed in the light reflected from nearby windows.  
It's about time. Izzy looked around. I was beginning to wonder if we were going to have to do this all alone.  
We would never abandon you Izzy. Four voices spoke as one, and then Tai and Matt jumped down from Omnimon's broad shoulders, freeing the huge Mega to engage his enemies without their added weight. With a gesture the huge cannon emerged from his right hand, and he began to search the sky for enemies.  
Izzy turned around to the figures stretched out behind him. Are you ready?  
We're always ready for a battle. Ogremon replied, confidently. Behind him hundreds of digimon were arrayed, partnerless digimon from the Digital World, each and every one a combat veteran ready to lay their lives down for their beliefs. Piximon had gathered them from every corner of the Digital World, digimon willing to fight evil regardless of the cost, or the distance that the journey would take them. Now a bewildering array of eyes and appendages stared out at Izzy, and he was aware of how odd this had all become.  
Here they come. Piximon reported, staring outwards with his darkened eyes.  
Well, at least they didn't bother to keep us waiting. Izzy murmured, staring at the dark cloud that was steadily getting nearer. At the rate it was expanding they had only minutes before that mass of swirling black shapes would coat the entire horizon from east to west.  
Then explosions began to dot the sky.  
  
Winters let out a vindictive howl as his first missiles exploded in the middle of the mass of swirling digimon. Dark shapes evaporated under the pounding of the warheads that the remaining fighters were pouring into the enemy. Then he was past, his fighter screaming for altitude as he left the confused mass of flying creatures unnerved and flat footed. Three of his wingmen were not so lucky, and more explosions filled the sky as fuel tanks exploded and metal alloys tore apart, but the rest of the strike was through, lifting away, leaving confusion in their wake.  
We've opened a hole in their lines. Everyone who can, get through it soon.  
Team Eagle roared through the hole caused by the sudden skirmish in the sky with Silphymon and Garudamon right on their tails.  
It looks like they're all on their way TK.   
We know. TK replied through the comm. net. They're already here.  
  
Digimon roared on both sides of the line, fresh digimon from the Digital World suddenly making an appearance with greater effect than their numbers. There were only hundreds of them at the major intersections, and there were still thousands of Dark Digimon rushing to the battleground, but it was too late. The new arrivals were fresh, not as tired and exhausted as the digimon who had been fighting the long battle. They exchanged fire with their enemies at ranges as close as a few feet, and entire waves of dark creatures dissolved into shards of digital data.   
Behind them the Narita airlift was finally beginning to make its weight felt. It was impractical to move thousands of troops into position for an extended campaign due to the weight of their equipment, but for a short battle like this they would move everyone they could as fast as they could. Soldiers came off the runways at Narita International in a steady stream, as fast as the air controllers could keep them moving. In a steady trickle they were arriving at the front, first branching into a stream, and then into a river. Hundreds paid the ultimate price as they rushed to the front lines, but more came up from behind them, filling in the holes in their ranks and creating a solid wall of steel between the portal and their ever more desperate enemies.  
Dark digimon and fanatical humans, addled by the powers of their dark masters or by the tantalizing pull of greed and pride, threw themselves into the makeshift barricades like a tidal wave. They came on, howling. One group managed to breach a wall manned by confused Russian volunteers, slaughtering the defenders in close in combat, only to be pushed back by screaming IDEF digimon and soldiers freshly arrived from Korea, determined fighters with their faces screwed up in concentration. The Utopian forces refused to give up even an inch without a fight, but the IDEF was equally determined to take it back. When the battle ended, the bodies and the blood were waist deep at the front, but the enemy had fallen back, broken at that point. At another point five hundred Americans with digimon support struggled in a back and forth battle over a nearly empty street with a rush of enemy digimon and fanatical human soldiers. Gunfire started at long range as snipers took potshots at the soldiers moving from cover to cover. Then they were firing at each other with automatic weapons at ranges as close as a meter, or lower, spitting blood and carnage all over the street. Ammunition supplies failed, and men were clubbing and stabbing at each other at pointblank ranges, until one side would fall back to a safe distance. An officer, or someone in charge, would yell, rally their men and charge back into battle, and the bloodbath would start up again.  
Even professionals were aghast. There was no more control, no more command, only chaos incarnate. The armies were no longer separate bodies, they were two animals, locked together in mortal combat, claws and teeth sealed to each other in a ball of hissing fury as they rolled over the floor. Nobody talked of the battle beyond the next few minutes. It was combat at a level that had never been seen before in the history of the Earth as armies of numbers that would have impressed the most jaded of history's conquerors slammed into each other at ranges too close for their weapons to even work properly. For the men and women in charge, the battle had become a meat grinder, into which digimon and humans were fed relentlessly, and nothing but ruin emerged.  
Tai got brief glimpses of his team as the battle whirled around him. Omnimon had long ago left him behind in order to fight more effectively, and now he was stuck with some soldiers, trying to keep in one piece. Cody appeared once, sword waving, a horror to those who fought him at close range. Sora was visible for a moment, running desperately from one piece of shelter to the next, keeping one step ahead of her opponents. He swore that he had seen Davis as well, slamming a handy Bakemon over the head with a baseball bat before he had disappeared behind a wall. Otherwise, it was just him and a bunch of men he didn't know, trying to hold off the world.  
What a clusterfuck. Somebody he didn't know muttered as he bandaged his upper arm from a wound that was bleeding profusely.  
Tai agreed with him silently.  
  
Something's wrong. TK, who had been standing back to back with Kari, holding the street against a rush of savage Gizamon, froze almost in midswing.  
Kari managed to grab one of the last Gizamon, no longer surprised when it seemed to break apart at the touch of the light aura surrounding her, and stared back at him. Then it hit her, as if an oily blackness was unfolding in her stomach, filling her with an unholy dread. For a moment it felt like something was actually trying to get out of her mouth, to crawl out through her throat, and then she almost vomited on the pavement. From his pale face, TK was hardly doing any better.  
What's wrong? Yolei appeared next to them as if by magic, her face flushed as she took in the two standing there.  
Something's wrong. TK murmured. Some darkness is here, I don't know what, but I think it wants something.  
It's big whatever it is. Kari whispered. She was still having some problems controlling her stomach, and that was never a good sign. And I don't think that it's going to count as good news.  
We feel it too. MagnaAngemon set down beside them, purple sword aloft and flaming. It is a power of evil as ancient as it is cruel. I do not think that we can fight it alone.  
Angewomon did not look any happier. I am unfamiliar with the taste. I fear it is  
Whatever it was that the angel thought was threatening them was left unsaid in a rising storm of screams and startled exclamations around them. People all over were pointing up, into the sky, men and women yelling in alarm and near panic. Even dark digimon were backing up as if they wanted nothing better than to flee.  
An inky blackness was rising into the sky. It seemed to be darker than smoke, rising in a way that was simultaneously threatening and disturbing, blotting out the light, not like it was shading those below, but rather as if it were sucking the light into it. Higher and higher it rose, billowing out first, then regrouping, first seeming to spread out and cover the sky, then concentrating its evil. And then, slowly, it resolved into a humanoid shape.  
Hello there. A voice boomed out, so loud that it was all TK could do to force himself not to clap his hands over his ears. It seems that you mites have actually managed to gain a temporary victory. Massive jaws opened, revealing teeth the size of skyscrapers. A wave of darkness stole over the army with his breath.  
Who is he? Kari asked Angewomon in a trembling voice.  
The giant appeared to have overheard. I am Bane. Do you know me?  
TK searched his memory. Khartan's last servant. But something about that did not seem right. The darkness here was greater than anything he had ever felt from Khartan's presence. True, his senses were more developed, but this did not feel like the evil that he had once stood in the presence of.  
Servant! In name only. Bane laughed, a cruel, heartless laugh. Your precious world is in a very strategic position young Paladin. We wish it. Khartan is a bit of a crazed dictator, fond of his cruelties and his games. Like so many others you have faced, it leaves him open to defeat. So the Dark sent ME to keep an eye on him. To make sure that our plan succeeded, to take Citadel from the rear and end this war once and for all. Even as he spoke he drew himself up more, and TK sensed the dark power in him, that this creature standing in front of him was everything he claimed to be and more. A dark beacon, a power that was as far above Khartan as Khartan still was above TK.  
You have forced me to take an active hand. For that I congratulate you. You will die like a man should, on your feet. A ghostly hand was raised and a wave of intolerable blackness fell down upon them, drowning TK in an ocean of despair. Even with his glowing corona, he could feel the darkness pressing at him, cutting him off. In an instant he had lost sight of the glowing figure of Kari, of the towering presences of the angels, of Yolei, of everyone. From the shouts suddenly smothered as effectively as if a blanket had been dropped on the city, he knew that his allies were suffering the same, and probably even his enemies. He was trapped, the darkness beat at him like water, like oil, and he could not have moved a step if his life depended on it.  
Then, amazingly, there was light in the distance. First a single pinprick, and then more and more, a constellation of them. It was almost as if the darkness he was drowning in was only a black cloth, and someone was poking holes in it, letting the light through and freeing those trapped beneath. Like the clouds had gone, and the stars were coming out to illuminate the night. Suddenly the warm feeling of companionship flooded back, the realization that he was not alone, that he was standing only an arm's reach away from his best friend and the love of his life. That there were hundreds of others, even thousands, who were prepared to die in this battle, who had come with him to battle the darkness.  
The blackness lifted and revealed an amazing sight, a forest of digidestined, their hands aloft, each holding a single blue-white gem of light in their palm. Thousands of digivices sent a light aloft that forced even the most impenetrable blackness to rise off the ground. Ten thousand throats inhaled a great breath in unison. Then the light rose to form a bubble above them, a fragile wall against the great darkness.  
But Bane only laughed, and he sounded amused, not frightened or even annoyed by the sudden outpouring of light. And TK, in his heart, understood why. He could feel the digidestined projecting the umbrella begin to drain themselves. The weight of the darkness fell on their shoulders like an ever increasing weight, dragging them down. Some had already fallen to their knees, the light from their digivices dimming. For now, there was a balance as those standing kept the light aloft, and those fallen closed their eyes to the pain, trying desperately to stand. For now there was equilibrium, but TK knew it would never last.  
  
This is it. The powerful Ultimate-level digimon stared at the corridor in irritation. We traced the illegal broadcasts to here.  
Let's go get them. Someone else murmured, looking at the door to the broadcast center with hunger in their dull and darkened eyes.  
With a creak, the door opened slowly. There was a brighter light inside than in the dim corridor, so for a moment the digimon standing around had no idea what they were looking at. Then the shape resolved itself into a man, wearing garb that the ancient samurai would not have found foreign. He was clearly old, but the bright steel of the katana in his hand did not waver an inch, and something in the dark digimon quailed at what they say in his eyes.  
It's just one man. The leader muttered, more to encourage his followers than out of any real conviction to what he was saying.  
Regardless, you will not pass here. Steel flashed, as did his eyes. I will keep you at bay until this battle is won.  
Get him! A digimon screamed, and the others reluctantly moved to attack.  
Chikara Hida met them halfway to the door, a scream on his lip, a loop of steel in his hands.  
  
It occurred to TK why the light had formed a dome. Ordinary men and women, unprotected from the full power of that darkness were beginning to stir, to move around under the failing protection. Several of them lofted explosives and flares outside the dome to try and light it up, but they were having little luck. There was no overcoming _that_ blanket of supernatural darkness.  
Footsteps ran up behind him.  
Heya kid. How's it going? Lieutenant Takaeda of the Tokyo Metro Police plopped down beside TK, obviously exhausted.  
When did you get here? TK asked.  
We saw the fighting start and decided to see if we could sneak through to your side. Get your families to safety. He glanced over his shoulder where several other digidestined family members were congregated, looking around nervously.   
Where are the others? TK asked, a cold lump of dread anchoring itself in his stomach. He could not see his father's tall form anywhere.  
We got cut off from Ishida's group a while ago. Don't worry. From the transmission he sent out, he's doing fine. I just don't know where he is. Wherever it is, it's probably better than here. He gestured over his shoulder with a thumb to where Davis, staggering but still holding a digivice alight, was being held by his crying mother and watched anxiously by his older sister.  
Well, this party's not going anywhere. TK murmured.  
Clever of you to notice Takashi. Bane was enjoying his omniscience, and his taunting voice drove TK to distraction.  
But it was Davis who answered. You're going to lose anyway you big creep. Why don't you take it like a man and give up now?  
Impertinence and defiance. Bane actually seemed delighted, and TK felt a sudden spike of sheer terror as the oppressive darkness above them rippled in response. I have to reward such behavior.  
A spike of pure blackness struck down from above, a camera's negative version of lightning, driving down under the force of pure malice. It was hatred and agony and death all in one, a poison that would destroy any living creature's soul at once, but it had been given corporeal form, and it ripped through the air like a chainsaw. Davis only had time to gape at it as it rushed toward him, to hear the siren song of death approaching him.  
TK flung out a hand, desperately searching for the reserve of power that would let him block that thing, but he knew it was futile. His logical mind, remote from his emotional self, understood that there was nothing he could do to prevent events from playing out. Even as he gathered himself, the bolt impacted into flesh with a horrifying discharge of latent power.  
Davis screamed, but his skin was unmarked. In front of him, silhouetted like some perverse inverse image of reality was Jun, her last leap having carried her in front of her brother. She was outlined almost as if she had been painted in blue and black instead of her normal colors, and her screams were horrible. For a few impossible moments she was suspended in the air like a puppet, jerking and spasming horribly under the pounding of that godawful lightning. Then the blackness cut off with a suddenness that surprised them all, and she collapsed to the pavement, illuminated only by the light from the dome of digivices.  
Davis rushed over to her, grabbed her by the shoulder and tried to force some life back into her, but she did not respond, eyes open and staring beyond into something that only she could see. Then she forced the words out, slowly as if she was already distant.  
I'm cold Davis. So cold  
Her voice failed. A moment later her hand, held out, dropped listlessly and limply to the ground. There was no movement in the enclosure as everyone watched, alert for one sign of breath, but there was nothing to reward their efforts.  
Then Davis screamed. It was long and loud and it seemed to go on forever, rising from his gut to spill out of his mouth like a tidal wave, a hurricane even, a primal sound of rage and hatred and frustration and a burning need for vengeance. The world stood still for a split second, and then the boy fixed the full force of his glare on Bane. The dome of light flared violently, tinged with a distant but hateful red as it raged against the darkness. But what there was of Bane in the darkness only laughed. The other digidestined gasped in relief as Davis took some of the burden off onto his own shoulders, but he was already buckling under the weight.  
Tai had just glanced away from that horrible scene when he saw the red light illuminate something in the darkness. Someone was there, an aura of golden light blazed like the sun briefly, and a figure appeared, walking through the darkness. Slowly the darkness between the dome and the man melted away. It was Hideo Ishiguro.  
Master Ishiguro! Cody was standing near that end of the dome, and he stared suddenly at the martial arts master. With Jun's death, the wave of everlasting darkness, everything was piling on top of itself, and he simply could not keep track anymore.  
Hello Iori. Ishiguro's smile was soft and gentle. He looked, even in the middle of the death and the carnage and the destruction, like a man who had finally found peace.  
What are you doing here? Cody asked, breathless.  
Just coming to borrow something from you. He looked at the dome. If there hadn't been a resurgence in the dome I never would have found you. I just need to borrow a little of it.  
Cody asked.  
Because it is pure. It's all so easy you see. Utopia had it wrong. Digimon respond to thoughts, feeling, things like that. But they're simple at heart. All thought is can be transformed into brainwaves, thought patterns, electric signals. This he pointed at the wall of the dome. this is just a physical manifestation of what is purely an electromagnetic phenomenon.  
Even Izzy looked boggled at that. Behind them Davis sank to his knees, his overpowering rage not enough to keep Bane at bay any longer. His face was so strained he looked like his head was about to explode.  
We always knew that you see. But we needed a source, and a disciplined mind. I've been training for years for this moment. Your light here is impressive, but it can be channeled, transmitted. All it is, when we come down to it, is a cold, hard science. Cold, hard but containing some element of fundamental mystery. Maybe that is what we can say about life as a whole.  
What are you talking about? Izzy asked. Davis's scream took on a note of physical pain as the weight of the darkness began to crush him.  
We need to borrow this, turn it into a digital representation of the electromagnetic spectrum and throw it over the town. We need to borrow a human, and turn him into an antenna. It was just too difficult to test. We needed your help. Helios Ascendant has been preparing for this moment for years, but our anonymous forbearers have been preparing for it for centuries.  
I still don't understand. Cody stared at him.  
You will one day. Master Ishiguro smiled and then reached for the dome. Just before he touched it he paused for a moment. I knew your father Iori. He would have been very proud of how you turned out. He would have been proud of all of you. Remember me always.  
He touched the dome with one hand. With the other he produced a remote control from his pocket and pushed a single red button.  
His entire body exploded with lightning. For a moment he stood there, a beatific smile on his face as the lightnings coursed up and down his body, burning it to a crisp from the inside out, vaporizing muscle tissue and nerve endings as if they were nothing more than paper. For one eternal moment he let the power of the device he had worn blaze through him and combine with the humming light of the dome into something that was unique, clear and never before heard in this world. And then his body vaporized to ash in a flaming explosion. TK winced away from that moment, but he would always swear that he had seen in those flames a pair of calm eyes looking back at him.  
The harmonic song of the dome flared and spread, like a rippling tidal wave, over the entire city. It deafened even the radio and television transmitters of the building in which Cody's Grandfather was still fighting. It reached a specially constructed transmitter tied into the city's emergency power grid, and attached to the Tokyo Tower.  
As it had been designed to do, the Tower reverberated like a bell, and sent that signal across the city loud and clear. It was the sound of the trumpets of heaven, calling the hosts to war. Dark Digimon grasped their heads everywhere in the city, howling in pain. Every TITAN unit in the city dropped on the spot, the souls inside freed, sent to their futures unchained by mortal devices. The darkness surrounding Highton View Terrace disintegrated in an instant.  
And Bane was no longer amused.  
  
The light shone in a dome now, brighter than even the sun. Uncloaked by Bane's darkness it dominated the skyline of the city, a new Eden beckoning to souls everywhere. Men touched by darkness fled at the sight of it. Even Bane, monstrous still but without his sheltering cloud, flung a protective hand in front of his eyes. But his other arm was rising, and TK could feel that darkness gathering again, preparing to strike forth, to smother and destroy. But for now, the light burned brightly, and fiercely, as if daring the encompassing dusk to try and snuff it.  
But in that moment TK remembered that a campfire had more than one purpose than to drive away the darkness. One could wander the darkened hills, looking for sanctuary forever, until hope came into their breast at the sight of a glowing pinpoint of light in the distance. Light was used to signal, to carry messages, and this light carried a message to the whole world, and beyond. And out of it, in answer to a signal revealed by the drawing of a curtain, a figure stopped by the point where Hideo Ishiguro had perished and stared for a moment unmoving at the ashes before looking up. But when he did look up, his glare was horrible to behold.  
Adam hissed. I have come for you.  
  
  
  



	27. Shatterer of Worlds

Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon  
  
**

Episode LI  
Destroyer of Worlds  
  


**_I am become death, destroyer of worlds. _-- Robert J. Oppenheimer, citing from the Bhagavadgita, after witnessing the world's first nuclear explosion  
  
There was no longer anything mortal about the man standing before TK in that moment. He had cast aside the possibility of his defeat, his very humanity as if it were nothing more than a cloak to be discarded. For a moment TK was aware of the vast powers that Adam, and in some respects himself, represented. It felt uncomfortably like staring into the heart of a star.  
Cody was still staring at Ishiguro's remains, but Tai was able to react to the man's presence. His voice picked up as a sudden realization of his situation reached him. You've got to get in here, help the others escape.  
Bane was aware of him to, and there were signs of more than uncertainty. Signs of abject fear as the master of dark arts stared down at this tiny diminutive figure that glared at him with such intensity.  
Adam, we've got to hurry! Tai yelled. We don't have much time!  
There was a ripping sound, and a huge skyscraper not far away ripped out of the ground, moving over the ground at tremendous speed, the crumbling foundations still clinging to patches of earth brushing aside lesser buildings like the refuse they were. Unerringly it hurled itself directly at Adam, standing before the dome.  
Adam raised a hand. The tower smashed to a sudden halt as two immeasurably powerful wills warred with it. Then the physical limitations of the structure were surpassed, and the building exploded.  
Bane stepped back for a moment, as if perturbed, and then he struck at Adam with lightning. Black tendrils thicker and blacker than even the darkest night uncoiled from his hand and struck downward like clinging serpents, roiling furiously as they hurled earthward. Even TK shied back from the naked power of that attack. But Adam remained unperturbed. He made an obscure gesture with one hand and the lightning blasted almost directly into his hand and stopped, hovering for a moment as if indecisive, before grounding itself in a nearby ruin with a detonation that was so loud it nearly ruptured the eardrums of the spectators.  
Then Adam raised his hand and gestured almost negligently at Bane. The air ruptured with a sound wave that shook windows miles away. The building directly behind Bane disintegrated at the force of that blow, the largest particle must have been the size of a piece of sand. Car wrecks were thrown twenty miles by the blast, but Adam seemed almost unaware of the force he had unleashed. Bane staggered as he took this head on, his darkness blowing back from him like a cloak. For a moment he appeared to have overbalanced, but then he slowly regained his posture.  
Strands of black energy blasted from Bane's eyes, Adam unleashed a bolt of pure white from an outstretched hand, and the entire world dissolved in the sudden brilliance of the explosion. There were roars in the background, but everyone who was witnessing the titanic event was blinded by the afterglow, spots dancing in front of their eyes. Some cried out as the impact waves tossed them back, but they remained blind, tossed about like stray leaves in an autumn wind.  
All over the city, the battle had slowed to a virtual halt. Task Force Lionheart had finally met up with their southern lines, but they were not pressing on. They could not, nobody would move in the face of that titanic battle as the two beings clashed in the middle of Heighton View Terrace.  
Tai had a sudden surge of irony flare in him as he saw the much maligned footbridge, lying once again in pieces. When he was little more than a baby, Greymon and Parrotmon had shredded the thing. Then it had gotten shattered by Mammothmon and Garudamon. He had read that it had been slightly damaged in the duel with Daemon, although apparently not enough to close it off. But now it was destroyed again. Digimon had been fighting over this piece of real estate for so long that there was almost nothing left. Once again they would rebuild it. Tai wondered if this time, after so many other attempts, it would last.  
Bane struck at Adam with a blast of fire that nearly took Tai's face off even here, the ground was scorched, but it appeared that the dome of light was still protecting them, keeping them safe from harm. Outside, the remains of the city were not so lucky, and Tai watched as a piece of broken metal hit by a fragment of pure flame melted into a puddle and hissed in complaint. The smell of scorched earth flooded his nostrils.  
Angewomon collapsed onto her knees and held her hands over her ears as tightly as she could to blot out the painful sensations that were wracking her. Bane was beyond evil, the being that angels had been created to battle, but this close he was too much for her. Despite her connections with the divine, she was only mortal and was aware of that, and aware of the way that the power he wielded dwarfed her own. MagnaAngemon was suffering similarly, huddled against a nearby building as the waves of darkness battered at his angelic self again and again. Exposure to their opposite and superior at this close range resulted in physical pain.  
Harmonic symphonies echoed through the city, and the broken and battered skyscrapers ran like a bell. Music, divinely inspired to lift even the gravest of hearts, to set men and women alike to dancing, rang through the ruins like a torrent. With it a blast of a great silvery something uncoiled from Adam and struck at Bane. Bane responded by forming in front of him a shield of sickly green light, but that light buckled under that silver blast.  
Then the smoke changed into a great serpent, oily and filled with nothing but the pure filth of human imagination. Intangible jaws opened up to reveal two great fangs, dripping with a torrential poison that melted the concrete it dripped on to. The snake lunged at Adam but the man gestured, and a wall of light rose from the ground halfway to the heavens, the top glimmering with every color in the rainbow. Shadowy and insubstantial, the phantom snake could not survive contact with that wall, and vanished with a horrible scream. Next a great demon of fire both red and green, eyes glowing malevolently as swords of magma and burning brimstone whirled around him, appeared out of thin air. One look nearly collapsed every digimon still within the dome where they stood, and he opened his mouth and unleashed a blast of fire on the wall of light. The wall collapsed, but when the fire faded away, Adam was unharmed within a shimmering and transparent globe of blue light.  
Beneath the combatants the ground cracked, and then something grabbed the surface and hauled its way up laboriously, a huge being of rock and earth, the roots of trees still sticking to it. This thing was huge, a titan stepped out of myth and legend, and the roar that echoed from its stubby jaw set that which had not been leveled yet to trembling. The demon submerged the titan in a veritable ocean of fire until it was no longer visible. Yet when the fire subsided, the titan was unharmed, roaring in anger, and the demon found itself ripped apart by those vast hands, each the size of a bus. Then the titan turned its attention to Bane, but Bane sneered at it, and a wave of blackness exploded into the titan, destroying it. Swiftly the darkness coalesced into a horde of smaller creatures, beings cut from the same fabric as the night itself, and they threw themselves, teeth gnashing angrily, at Adam.  
Adam threw his hands out and the sphere of blue light expanded. The demons disintegrated under that light and there was a flare so bright that human and digimon were forced to cover their eyes in pain and wait for the glare of the afterimage to fade away before seeing anything. When their sight returned, Bane was trapped in the sphere of blue light and Adam was watching him with cold eyes as the creature of darkness pounded on the inside. Slowly, cracks began to grow in the blue surface, and then there was an explosion of sapphire shards and Bane was free again, already summoning more darkness to him.  
But Adam was advancing, sheathed in an incandescent white that almost outshone the sun itself. There was no way to look at him without risking instant blindness, but they could all feel his presence, rock solid and unstoppable within that sheath. Bane's eyes widened in sudden terror and he hurled waves of pure force at his enemy. Ken grasped the ground around him in a futile effort to keep from being thrown like a rag doll as the entire island nation of Japan rocked underneath them. In terms of impact, it must have been almost like having a volcano erupt in the middle of the city, but this did not impair Adam. Lightnings flashed and fires smote and Bane unleashed attacks in a cruel, harsh and biting language that Ken did not speak but recognized vaguely from his worst nightmares. But, through the storm and thunder in his voice everyone could hear the sound of panic beginning to set in. All of them had their eyes tightly shut now, even the redoubtable angels, to avoid the sight of the horrors that Bane was conjuring up, ears closed to keep from hearing the screams and screeches that his summoned phantoms hurled at his unearthly foe. Nobody dared open their eyes, each recognizing in their heart of hearts that this was not a battle of men, and that to glimpse even part of it would be risking madness of the worst type. Slowly, as if it were a badly done movie, the sounds of the clashes began to blend together, until it was one never-ending wave of sound that almost faded into the background as the witnesses coped with the wounded writhing of space itself under that assault.  
And then as clear as day they heard Adam speak.  
And in the end, a nightmare, like a shadow, is just an illusion, without substance.  
They all looked up to see Adam standing there, his glowing light visible at the heart of Bane's panicked darkness, which was now streaming in all directions. He held out his arm straight and then twisted his hand up, palm facing him, and clenched his fingers into a fist. An intolerable burst of light glowed from there, a wave of silver offsetting the darkness, and then there was nothing but a blinding whiteness that they staggered away from.   
And, with a final despairing scream, Bane faded into darkness.  
  
Time, which had stopped as if it had not dared continue, started again. Hearts began to beat. Light began to shine in a normal manner. The sense of eldritch and unearthly power faded, and the rocks once again seemed to rest easy on the ground, embracing the relentless touch of gravity. Once again they were in wreckage and ruin, but this at least was a battleground they understood. Of Bane there was no sign but the huge crater of blasted material, fused into a smooth glass, where Adam stood, quiet as if contemplating, in the center. He looked tired, bags under his eyes and his hair and face drooping toward the ground below. His hands, formerly clenched and tightened in preparation for battle, were now hanging loosely at his sides. For a moment he appeared to be mortal again, but those who had watched knew him now for what he was, and mortality would never again color their perceptions of him.  
You beat him. TK stood up first, and crossed the ground between him and the staggered avatar in a few leaps.  
There will be another. Adam waved a hand almost absently. And another. There always has been and there always will be.  
I know, but you know that what you've done is important. TK understood the emotions that must be flowing through a man who had fought for over a century in a thousand different battlegrounds, who found his home surrounded in blood and death despite his best efforts.  
It is the way of things. Adam dismissed sorrow and grief and madness as he had his mortality, with only the barest flicker in his eyes.   
What next? TK asked.  
You must destroy all enemy forces, they will try at any and all costs to prevent you from entering the Utopia complex in West Shinjuku. They know how important it is. Khartan is close to succeeding with his mad plan, and you have less than an hour before he can stabilize the singularity to accomplish his goals.  
Do you know their plan? TK asked, hoping against hope that there would be some reprieve for his band of tired warriors.  
Yes. And it is once more imperative that you stop it. We are engaged across fifteen worlds, in a running battle that has never seen equal, at least since the Great War. This you must stop, and stop alone. I am sorry, but that is the price you must pay for this world to survive.  
I understand. And TK did, and understood that had their positions been reversed, he would be using Adam as mercilessly as Adam was using him.  
Listen closely then. The Gate that you saw on the way to the power room in the Utopia complex is a deathtrap. You cannot enter there. You must proceed down into the depths of the building. I found the singularity room when I left you in that raid, but I was unable to enter without triggering certain alarms. Now that the singularity is no longer there, those alarms and defenses are inactive. In that same complex however is a tap onto the Tokyo gate, the one that BlackWarGreymon sealed. You must enter that gate. Together there exists a chance that you may win. Beyond that I cannot say.  
You have to go? TK guessed.  
Yes. My place is elsewhere, not here anymore. The war rages on, and there are other battle I must fight. Adam's tired eyes took in the surrounding, blasted landscape, and he gave a very exhausted smile. And then he simply vanished, fading like a television image in a blip of light.  
Everyone started moving.  
Several people began.  
Some others started.  
EVERYBODY SHUT UP! Tai roared at the top of his lungs, causing Matt to fall away from him clutching an ear painfully.  
Listen to me on this. Tai began. I don't think that there's any denying that Adam was more than what he seemed, but I think that it would be foolish to ignore his advice. We need to get to that Gate under the Utopia complex, and we need to do it less than an hour. I don't want to know if it's possible, I want to know how we're going to do it.  
We're exhausted and tired Tai. Izzy pointed out. Even with everyone we've got, and with Bane destroyedeven if Khartan has passed through the gate, we've got fanatical humans and digimon to wade through, and I don't doubt that they'll fight to the death. We need more time.  
Then I say we burn through them. Davis turned to face the group, still standing over his sister's cold body and there was a fire in his eyes that made the others shy instinctively away from him. Who's with me?  
Before anyone could answer him there was a sound like the tidal surf coming in to pound on the shore, a roar that built and built in volume until they could only hear a colossal roar. And with that, a tsunami consisting of a million very angry residents of Tokyo crashed over the hordes of darkness like an all-consuming tide.  
  
The tide had actually been building for some time. Even before the fatal message had been broadcast from the communications center at the University of Tokyo, groups of citizens, incensed at the actions of the otherworldly troops garrisoning their home districts, had begun to gather. The small vigilante groups were not a real threat to the enemy, they were too scared of the dark digimon to do more than ambush the occasional lone Utopia trooper. But slowly they had started to gather into larger and larger groups. When the Battle of Tokyo had finally begun, dozens of groups saw their opportunity to get rid of their hated overlords and had entered the streets in a huge running battle that had distracted enemy troops at the worst possible moments.  
But the continued battle, the chance of freedom, the national pride of their people, and Ishida's inflammatory message had combined to motivate even those that were lacking in courage to leave their houses and begin a general uprising. Now, for the Utopian forces, it was almost more dangerous behind their lines than it was at the front, because loosely organized groups of citizens were hunting them down, one at a time, wherever they could be found. Wielding weapons from baseball bats and impromptu clubs to hundred year old swords, the tide of citizen-soldiers broke over their enemies in a flood. Even those thousands of soldiers that had landed with the digidestined were nothing compared to the sheer weight of numbers that the populace could bring to bear.  
To complicate matters, they knew the territory. Long forgotten maintenance and subway tunnels were rediscovered, utility workers leading gangs of disparate individuals in desperate strikes against positions in buildings that their enemies had thought secure. Sometimes the enemy entered the tunnels under the city themselves, and then battles erupted in ground so narrow and confined it was even worse than a jail cell. Gunfire broke the silence and darkness of the city's underground, and the flash of steel ended many lives on both sides in a shower of blood.  
Adam's fight, the final confrontation between good and evil, had drawn these groups of angry citizens like moths to a candle flame, and the roar of the tide would have deafened anyone whose ears were still intact to listen. Now they blasted open the enemy lines from behind, opening a huge corridor, from the climactic battleground at Highton View Terrace all the way to the Utopia complex in West Shinjuku.  
Through that hole roared the digimon fresh from the Digital World, a force powerful enough to turn the tide against their enemies. Behind those digimon trailed out the remnants of the proud forces that had held off the end for so long. Banners streaming in the wind, faces flushed with anticipation, they charged, voices roaring as one, and the battle was joined once more.  
  
General Alexander was finally able to breath a sigh of relief. From the reports coming in, whatever tremendous showdown had taken place had broken the enemy's resolve, and they were fleeing the city in droves, helped along by the now unified forces of the IDEF. For the first time in the longest day of his life, he had nothing to do except to acknowledge various reports of troops in pursuit of a fleeing enemy.  
Absently he wondered if they had truly won this battle, and how he was going to explain this to the Ministry.  
  
WarGreymon and MetalGarurumon blasted through the heavily reinforced steel doors that blocked off access to the innermost areas of the Utopia complex. Polished metal filled the air with a storm of shards in an instant, and the most valiant of the defenders, grouped to fend off a conventional attack, were sent sprawling as the charging digidestined cut right through them.  
Within the first five minutes, at least five hundred digimon and a thousand humans with the IDEF were inside the complex, engaged in a one-sided battle with all the Utopia Corporation personnel who had not already abandoned the city as a lost cause. In these close quarters digimon were even more deadly than they were outside, and dozens were falling to their concentrated attacks.  
But the Odaiba team had already accelerated ahead of the onrushing tide, and was busy trying to get their bearings.  
Time's running out. Tai muttered. Which way?  
I don't know. WarGreymon looked around hurriedly but could arrive to no complete conclusion. This whole place feels wrong. I don't know what's going to happen next, but it could be anything, and it could come from anywhere.  
The secret passage! TK exclaimed.  
Ken asked, confused.  
Of course! Tai yelled. That passage that you found the last time we were here! Do you know where it is?  
That way somewhere. It was Kari pointing. But I don't know exactly where.  
Digi-Armor Energize!  
Armor Digivolves to  
Cody yelled, pointing. We need to go that way!  
Before he had even finished speaking, the corridor was filled with flying debris, and the mouth of a brand new tunnel through the nearest wall had appeared. The digidestined followed the gold-backed digimon as he almost casually demolished walls and offices in his haste to reach that promised hallway.  
Well, that's one way to do it. Matt still managed to sound sarcastic and unconcerned as they pounded away in Digmon's wake. Nobody noticed the dark man that followed them.  
  
This is the door! TK yelled loudly as they emerged into a familiar corridor.  
There must be a lock mechanism here somewhere. Izzy darted forward but was interrupted by a streak of crimson and gold.   
Mega Claw! The cleverly disguised portion of hallway was blasted off his hinges by a single claw of the Mega, and sailed away behind them. There was an unpleasant whirring sound, like that of some machinery starting up, followed by a horrible wrenching and cracking sound. Then there was the smell of ozone and electrical fire wafting through the building.  
Let's get going somewhere. Tai gestured, ignoring the mangled remains of a pair of automatic weapons that had been arranged to scan the entryway, and presumably to eliminate unwelcome visitors. Smoke now filled the corridor, but once they were past that problem, normal fluorescent lighting took over to illuminate the plain, undecorated walls.  
Fortunately, as they darted into the darkened corridor, it became evident that the paranoia of Utopia had not been too extreme. Besides a few locked doors, and the navigational hazards of the flickering lights, there were no obstructions to impede their progress, and they charged headlong into madness, sloping ever downward into the bowels of the Earth. Sometimes there would be strange diagrams without description, or characters that seemed to have no meaning on the side of the walls, the only way to track progress in a never-ending descent.  
How deep are we? Yolei asked at one point, panting from the effort.   
Pretty deep. Izzy replied instantly. Way below ground level. Probably even below the level of all the subway tunnels.  
That _is_ deep. Yolei acknowledged.  
Why is whatever this is hidden down here? Biyomon grumped, upset at having to turn back into a Rookie to fit in the small corridor.  
The earth acts as a shield. Izzy panted in response. It prevents them from being discovered.  
How much more time do we have? Tai asked.  
Nine minutes. Ken looked briefly at the watch that had miraculously managed to stay on his arm. I think. I don't know the exact time he told us to hurry.  
Well then we better step on it! Tai yelled.  
No problem! MagnaAngemon had been surfing ahead, and suddenly he came up, his wings flaring in the purple glare of his sword. I found the end.  
There was no question about that. The hallway, all polished plastic and steel, ended abruptly in a huge, sealed door that looked as if it had been taken from the hull of a battleship. Even from this side they could glimpse some of the workings of the huge locks, metal bolts the size of oil pipelines sealing the door together.   
We need a way to get through this. Tai murmured.  
MagnaAngemon did not respond. He simply floated closer and ripped straight through the plate of the door with his glowing purple sword. Steel and Titanium parted as easily as if they were spaghetti or some such. Another swipe carved away another layer of protections with almost pathetic ease, and then there came the circular stroke, and a massive portion of the door fell outward. The disc hit the ground with an almighty crash that reverberated throughout the narrow confines, and from inside the darkened room, shadows erupted.   
They rushed forward, not threatening, but pathetically eager to escape, to get free. Then they were gone in a rush, and everything was quiet.  
Tai took a deep breath, and then took the first step into the room. There was nothing there except what looked like a huge, hi-tech well in the middle of the floor, the lip glowing brightly with suppressed light. There was a man standing next to the well.   
When Tai saw who it was, it took his breath away.  
  
Where's the old man? Hiroaki Ishida was recovering from an injury in the middle of a crowd of concerned wellwishers. A few of the faces pressing down on him looked familiar, but his head hurt so much that he could barely see them. The faces blurred sometimes, occasionally moving in and then moving out of focus just as quickly. Sometimes they faded right in front of his eyes.  
You all right boss? You should rest. That nervous and hyperanxious voice was easy to recognize. That was Charley from work, and Ishida did not have a clue what he was doing here. Last he had seen the man had been at work in Odaiba before the storm had erupted over the neighborhood.  
Where's the old man? Mr. Ishida asked again. Hida's disappearance before the broadcast had really started going had disturbed the newscaster, and he was worried. Where's everybody else?  
You need to rest. That was Professor Takenouchi. You took a nasty blow to the head when we were fleeing the broadcast center. It looks like with whatever happened out there, that we're winning, whatever that means. I'm pretty sure that the kids are all right, the chaos over in that end of the city seems to indicate that they're still fine. It's just like them to make that much noise.  
And the old man? Mr. Ishida asked again.  
I don't know. Mr. Ishida's eyes could not resolve the face of Professor Takenouchi with any clarity, but he did not need to in order to recognize the look of worry that would be passing over the professor's face.  
I guess he can take care of himself. Well, if we're winning, we might as well get most of you, however many of you there are, out helping us And with that, Mr. Ishida surrendered to unconsciousness.  
  
Willis! What's happening? Rapidmon staggered through the air, barely able to stay upright in the sudden rush of buffeting wind that was gone just as suddenly. For the second time that day the fighting began to trail off.  
I don't know. Willis answered truthfully. But I think the final battle is about to begin.  
  
Tai nearly exploded in surprise and released suspense as he recognized the tall figure with the long black hair and the flowing overcoat.  
Oikawa snapped. We need to buy time for a moment. Even as the words came out the digidestined were aware of the deep shadows around them, only illuminated by the fountain of light that was the Gate. They had assumed that those shadows were just that, figments of darkness that masked banks of machinery, but now they began to move. There was motion within those shadows, a deep and dark form of life that was now struggling up toward consciousness. It had become aware of the presence of the digidestined, and it was definitely NOT happy to see them.  
Oikawa yelled.  
Ken understood intellectually. With a brief feeling of detachment that he would not have been able to summon just days before, he shoved away his fear and doubt and insecurity, and reached out into the great beyond. A hole in the universe, as dark as the shadows surrounding them, reached out for them, and then they were gone swirling into the beyond.  
  
What the hell is that!?! Michael bellowed, staring at the monstrosity. It was something huge, unimaginably huge. It had uncoiled like a monster. It was a monster, as tall as any skyscraper. The massive tower of the Utopia Complex had exploded into shards, glass and steel flying through that air as it uncurled from the ground below, roaring. Tentacles writhed from where the mouth of its monstrous head should have been, claws the size of barges waved in the breeze. Four arms lifted as it roared in fury, but the two malevolent slits of eyes were focused on the ground. This was a king of nightmares and it's voice was horrible, the mere sound of it driving strong men near to a faint. Even to see its shape was to experience the unsettling feeling that you were once again five years old, and the monster that lived in the dark was rising to devour you. It howled again, and warriors on both sides turned tail and ran.  
So how do we fight that? Willis asked quietly.  
  
You brought us HERE? TK exploded the moment that the world stabilized around them enough for them to see the dull and dark beaches and cliffs around them. Of all places, with HIM standing right outside the door! You must be mad! Kari had gone so white even snow would look colorful by comparison.  
No. He has no influence in this place once he leaves it. That is why he so rarely does. He cannot sense or feel anything within while he lies without. It gives us a moment to gather ourselves before he can react. Oikawa looked thin here, stretched. He was almost transparent so gaunt had he become. His pale complexion was heightened by the vast expanse of grayness around them.  
Isn't there any color around here? Mimi asked. Where are we anyway?  
The Dark Ocean. Yolei responded shortly, pulling Ken back up. The boy had collapsed into a ball, panting with the exertion that traveling here had created.  
You took us here? Tai's shout almost echoed TK's. And who is this guy TK was talking about?  
The Monarch of the Dark Ocean. TK murmured. The ruler of the dark domain in this part of the cosmos, where every fear comes to life. A being made of pure nightmare who wields almost unimaginable power. He came through.  
Why did he do that? Matt's eyes were very wide.  
He wants Kari. Gatomon replied succinctly. And now, with the Gate weakening the barriers between worlds, he can finally get her.  
Not really. Oikawa gave them a tight smile. He isn't quite sure where we are.  
So what do we do about that? Tai asked. We can't sit here forever, can we?  
We go up. TK was staring at a rocky path that led off into the distance, sloping upward.  
That's going to be fun. Kari murmured.  
I don't want to hear that from you. Gatomon murmured back.  
So I don't get it. What's going on? Joe asked finally.  
The Monarch came through the Gate. The very presence of an artificial Gate must have weakened the walls between worlds. So Khartan made a deal. If we got to the Gate, the effect we would have had would have awakened the Monarch, and he could have come through. Oikawa spoke like he was very far away.  
So what kind of Digimon is he? Or is he one? Biyomon wanted to know.  
He's not. He isother. At one and the same time both Digimon and beyond. But there is something else. He is vulnerable. Oikawa continued.  
You mean he's got a vulnerable spot? Yolei pushed her glasses up her nose. Like dragons do in fairy tales or something?  
No. I just mean that he's vulnerable. In the realms of nightmares he is without proper substance, composed only of fear. He is immortal here, although he can be held at bay by a strong will indefinitely. But he has put on flesh to go to the Real World, but that flesh makes him vulnerable. It is a strong body, but it is a mortal body, and while he wears it he can be killed.   
And if we avoid him? Tai asked.  
We could, but that wouldn't be a good idea. TK replied. You see, we entered this universe sort of sideways, so time is stopped in ours while we have this conversation. But once we go through we will have to confront Khartan. We cannot afford for him to win, and I suspect that it might affect our world more than he thinks. Citadel might very well have defenses against this, something that cannot totally prevent the detonation, but might reflect some of it back. If it passes through the Void, it will erupt onto Earth, and there will be fire and death in two worlds. But if we leave to confront Khartan, we leave the Monarch alone, and he will wreak havoc on the Real World. He will possibly destroy the entire city of Tokyo if left alone.  
So why are we going up? Where does that take us? Sora stared skywards.  
It's a metaphor. Everything in this plane is a metaphor. Kari stared upwards as well, watching a huge mass of gray fog move between themselves and the upper heavens. We associate evil, fear and depression with down. So if this is down, this place where all of our fears come true, and are born, what is up?  
Cody snapped his fingers. That world we visited before, where all of our hopes and dreams can come true.  
That's the one. That's where we're going. From there, we will have the drop excuse the pun on the Monarch and on Khartan both. Kari smiled.  
Well, let's get going. Davis's voice was harsh, and his visage was red from where unshed tears still gathered beneath his eyes, but at least he looked steady now. The others started as his unexpected voice shattered their conference.  
He has a point. Oikawa faded a little before speaking again. I also am a creature of dreams. I grow weaker just standing here.  
TK stepped out onto the trail and set one foot in front of another.  
  
Where are you? Sora's voice called, echoing uncannily through the fog. The gray wall had intersected the line of digidestined and digimon, doing its best to choke all of them into individual obscurity. Sora could not see anybody no matter how hard she peered into the mist.  
I'm here somewhere! That sounded like Tai.  
We're lost in the fog. Palmon probably, judging from the sound, somewhere behind her.  
What do we do? That sounded a bit like Joe forcing down a panic attack.  
What we always do. TK's voice, strong and calm, emerged out of the nearby air. We keep going upwards.  
Sora braced herself. The terrain was climbing steadily upwards, she had to admit that. It told her which way she was supposed to be going.  
All roads lead to heaven. Kari sounded like she was smiling right next to Sora's head.  
That makes sense. That sounded more like Ken than anyone else.  
But I can't see anyone. Mimi complained suddenly. How can I make comments about the latest fashions if I can't see anyone? I spend all this time learning how to act like a ditz, and there aren't any opportunities to use it.  
There were a few chuckles and a single guffaw that sounded suspiciously like Matt.  
I would just like to state for the record that the moment I saw those blasted digivices descend from the sky, I just knew that this was all going to lead to trouble. That was definitely Joe. But would any of you listen? NO! So now I'm warning you, when they come to take us away to the funny farmwho's going to be laughing the hardest? Me, that's who! Why? BecauseI'm crazy for you baby! And with that Joe broke into a cracked-voice rendition of one of Matt and the Teenage Wolves's most popular hits.  
Don't diss my music man! Matt chortled back from in front.  
Mimi started to sing nursery rhymes in a high soprano.  
Somewhere in the midst of the swirling fog, Yolei started to sing the Macarena under her breath.  
Suddenly everyone was bursting into song. Matt was trying to out-sing Tai, an easy task that was made difficult only by the interspersed fits of laughter that Matt went through every time Tai deliberately mangled the song. Ken and Cody were singing a duet. TK was singing something from some opera he had once heard, but from the sound of what he was saying, he had forgotten the words. Kari was backing up Mimi on the nursery rhymes. Even the digimon were singing a dozen different songs, and growling at each other whenever they mismatched.  
I'm warning you guys! Izzy roared over the cacophony. I know seventy-three verses of 'What can you do with a Drunken Sailor' and I'm not afraid to use them!  
  
I think I broke a nail. Mimi shouted gleefully in the wind.  
Joe cheerily sang back something that sounded suspiciously bawdy, but Tai could not hear it. Sora, somewhere below him, broke off her song with a choking fit, so she probably was within hearing range.  
They had reached the hardest barrier, according to TK. A huge, vertical cliff, with few handholds to help them up it. It would have been almost impossible to master had it not been for the continued singing. The fog still prevented them from seeing anything except the rock face directly in front of their noses. Still, hanging precariously from smooth rock, searching in the blinding mist for the next handhold, was made easier somehow by the tuneless choruses that filled the sky with their echoes.  
Where are we going? Veemon yelled in a complaint that was as familiar as the answer that floated down from above.  
Up and Out!  
A dozen voices broke in to this. All roads lead to Heaven!  
Tai felt the rock try to break on him but he grinned and switched handholds. Here he was, courting sudden death, but with everyone around him he felt like he could never be conquered. He was pulling himself a little farther with each surge of energy.  
Almost there! TK yelled after a moment.  
Almost where? Sora shouted back.  
Disneyland, you dolt! Yolei shouted somewhere in the fog.  
Tai grinned at them, found a purchase with both of his hands, and heaved his body upwards. There was a moment when he realized that the grayness around him was growing white, and then his head breached the top of the clouds. It was like coming up for a breath of fresh air, and the sunlight hurt his eyes, nearly blinding him. As he blinked away the spots he stared around him. Behind him as far as he could see there was an endless sea of gray fog, but in front of him, he could actually see the rockface.  
A gloved hand reached down and effortlessly pulled Tai up to the top of the cliff. Angemon lowered the leader of the digidestined to the soil.  
I did mean it. TK was sitting there, smiling. They were on a peninsula of land jutting out into a gray sea, and the peninsula itself was covered a bit inwards by a thick forest that stretched off as far as Tai could see, forming a landscape that met the gray fog evenly. But here there was soft green grass, and Tai collapsed on it.  
Where's Kari? He asked after a moment.  
She was bringing up the rear. She'll be up after everyone else. TK smiled and lay back, staring at the sky.  
Angemon picked Agumon out from below by the scruff of his neck and deposited him in front of Tai.  
So we're at the top? Tai stared at his hands, which were bleeding.  
As close as we're allowed to go. TK shrugged. There's power here, and I think we can use it.  
Good. Because I'm beat.  
Only if you think so. TK replied as Ken was lifted over the edge of the cliff.  
Tai tried to feel refreshed, and was slightly amazed when the exhaustion was swept from his body. Then he relaxed and watched as the others were lifted by Angemon from their cliffside journey onto the top of the world.   
It's beautiful. Sora remarked, looking at the never-ending forest of trees that filled the horizons.  
Much better than that yucky old fog. Biyomon agreed.  
Not that you could get much worse than that. Veemon commented.  
Davis laughed, a cautious sound as if he had not expected to ever do that again. This is a calming place.  
Well, let's be going. TK snapped his fingers, and suddenly they were once again in that world of strange dimensions and twisted figures. It looked like they were resident in a modern art gallery, and strange shapes in bright fluorescent colors drifted past them aimlessly.  
This is the world of dreams? Tai asked, who had never been in it before, only having glimpsed the crazy patterned geometrics through the gash in space.  
This is it. Ken looked around. He could already feel the strength flowing through his bones, and we was not about to keep it out. It swept through him, whispering secrets into his ears, nourishing and healing him, heart and soul.  
It looks weird. Palmon remarked.  
To be expected. One man's trash is another man's treasure. Kari poked a pink balloon carefully, and it let out a sound curiously like a giggle, and wafted off in search of other company.  
So what's the plan, oh fearless leader? Matt asked, letting the sarcasm drawl from him.   
We attack. TK looked around, as if trying to find something. Isn't that right? A cloud of butterflies appeared from behind where the pink balloon had disappeared, and waved their way towards them, forming as they did into a solid object. A moment later Oikawa stood next to them.  
Oikawa shrugged as if uncomfortable with his body.   
Our digimon cannot digivolve in the Void. They will return to their natural state. TK reported.  
Sora exclaimed.  
You could have told us that earlier. Tai murmured.  
You just would have worried about it. Kari grinned cheekily.  
I'll take the sass out of you later. Tai threatened under his breath.  
So we have a choice. I think that we should let our digimon digivolve themselves, and then leave them here in the Real World to fight the Monarch while we enter the void and confront Khartan. TK looked around at each of them as if measuring them.  
Can we really beat him without our digimon? Joe asked.  
Feel the power around you and ask that again. Izzy replied calmly.  
Joe smiled.  
So what are we waiting for? Tai asked, clapping his hands together with a sound that was not unlike a gunshot. Let's get going! Errhow do we do that?  
Brace yourselves. Ken smiled at them, and snapped his fingers.  
Time started again.  
Then it all got complicated.  
  
For a moment they were indeed falling, and the clouds split away beneath them. Shadows and sunlight played next to them, and odd shaped constructs, the product of a thousand thousand imaginations chased each other over the landscape. Voices echoed too, in a hundred thousand languages, some whispering, some shouting and some singing. But Ken would always remember the feeling, the sound and the action. People were speaking to him, through the ages, from worlds far removed from his own.  
_Save us from horror, from terror, from pain_, a voice whispered in his ear.  
_Protect us from the flood_. A young girl prayed to something above him that did not reply.  
_I wish that we had someone to save us  
To guide us  
To lead us  
_ And then one young boy spoke, something that later they all agreed on, one thing they heard that they never forgot. For the boy was speaking to them all.  
_My daddyhe said that there weren't any heroes anymore, that nobody can save us. I think that the scary monsters might eat us, or that the bad stuff might get us, but I know that there are still heroes. I know that they are hiding somewhere, on the street or in houses or something. So I was wondering if you could come out and save us, because I'd be really grateful.   
_ The voice faded. There was a rushing wave of light and they could feel their bodies changing, becoming unearthly and filled with a power that they were not equipped to understand. Under the impetus of that strength the universe tilted slightly in the sky, as if the axis had been perturbed for one vital second by the emergence of something that could outshine its brightest stars. Here they floated through dreams, and the dreams floated with them and they understood.  
This was the second time some of them had floated through here, but the last time they had just been guests passing through. In that respect they had not belonged, and there had been too many barriers in their hearts. Their own insecurities, their failure to understand who and what they were, had closed them to the true heartbeat of this place. But now they came to renounce their mortality. It was a decision made in an instant that would wrench at them mightily in the nights and evenings to come.   
For it was only in that moment that they became the heroes that the digidestined had once been prophesized to become, and that the message they received once, long ago on File Island, came to pass. It was here that they finally left behind enough of their mortality that they could assume the mantle of protector and defender. In a moment they were no longer children playing at being heroes, or warriors of the Light, but they were merely vessels for a greater power than themselves, glowing within and without with the fires of the stars.   
Unconsciously it was understood, when they thought about it, what this meant. That they would change in ways that normal humans would not be able to. That their parents would grow old and depart this life long before they would; ; that their children would do the same. That eventually they might be alone and lonely, the last warriors in a war that their people had forgotten. That, for now and forever, the warm hearths that humans enjoyed were theirs only as guests, that they would never be sheltered, but would always be the sentries, guarding the gates in the fiercest of weather. It was promised in that instant that their path would not be easy, and that it would be a lonely one. They could protect the world and all that they held dear, that was easy to promise, but the price was almost beyond bearing.  
In fact, had any of them been faced with this cost alone, they might have balked at the thought of being forever outside humanity, forever an outsider looking in. But there were twelve humans and twelve digimon, and they were together in this moment, understanding that whatever happened, this moment would last forever and ever even if it was over before they could blink.   
So they fell from heaven, and the powers of the Light within them all awoke.  
Below them, the Monarch of the Dark Ocean looked up and waited for the final battle.  
  
Twelve dots dropped out the clouds. They were already glowing.  
warp digivolve to  
warp digivolve to  
Mega DNA Digivolve to  
digivolve to  
digivolve to  
DNA Digivolve to  
Mega Digivolve to  
mode change toFighter Mode!  
Then the surprises started.  
warp digivolve to  
The pink bird glowed with a sudden golden light, which erupted into a nova of gold and crimson flames. From out of it flew a bird that seemed to be crafted from the living sun, a mass of golden feathers surmounted by two piercing eyes which seemed to leave trails of fire in their wake. Tailfeathers drooped fire over the crowd below and a piercing scream interrupted the Monarch's unearthly, bone-shaking wail.  
  
warp digivolve to  
Palmon glowed a deep green and then changed shape into something that looked like a blossom, which slowly opened into a brilliant crimson flower. The flower deepened in color until it was a very dark pink, and then it opened by itself, revealing inside of it an unfolding creature of rose-colored armor, carrying a saber in one hand, and smiling ferociously.  
  
warp digivolve to  
There was a swirl of white in the sky, as if a small patch of heaven were being blanketed by a fierce snowstorm that threatened to obscure the world. Out of it came something small, speeding like a dart and accelerating toward the earth faster than a falling star. Two small wings lifted a creature that looked almost comically mismatched, but whose eyes were brimming with strange unearthly power.  
  
warp digivolve to  
Hawkmon's dive was instantly covered in a glowing whirl of red and blue. Then the light began to take shape almost as if there was some sort of ghostly specter hurtling toward the earth. Then, slowly, the light began to solidify, becoming more solid by the second until it looked almost harder and more solid than the Earth itself. This figure was fully armored, and looked sharp, hard and competent, a fit warrior to send to the end of time to wrestle with eternity.  
  
warp digivolve to  
This time there was a rush of something gray that obscured the view, and then slowly it faded. Erupting from beneath the earth came something new, a huge hulking monster of a digimon, roaring with a voice that could have shattered windows had there been any left. A massive double-headed battle-axe gleamed in one hand, and the short-cut fur moved back and forth slowly in the wind.   
  
warp digivolve to  
The insect simply grew, each shell exploding to give rise to the next creature within, until finally something so gargantuan emerged that it shaded huge portions of the city of Tokyo. This beast glowed golden like the sun, appendages and arms swinging down below like they were battering rams to be released against the enemy. Impossible strength and resilience shown from every possible burnished surface of the massive body in a rainbow cascade.  
warp digivolve to  
The massive armored angel took his position in the sky.  
  
warp digivolve to  
A huge glowing pink dragon swam smoothly into the sky, a harbinger of things to come.  
  
Beneath them, twelve dots of light, each one a digidestined, dropped from the sky like homesick meteors and plunged into the glowing light of the gate at the Monarch's feet.  
  
I was waiting for you. Khartan remarked as the twelve bodies plunged into the void and slowed to a stop as if they had merely jumped into deep water. All around them was a nearly blinding whiteness, in which Khartan and the singularity box were visible, starkly outlined against the non-existent landscape.  
And we've been waiting for you. TK responded promptly, eyes shrewdly surveying the now motionless singularity box. Three rings of super-condensed matter waited for activation, all of it suspended inside of a glowing red stasis shell to prevent it from being activated prematurely.  
And so Khartan smiled grimly. on two worlds, the final showdown begins.  
You started this long ago. Tai replied firmly, eyes boring into the darkness in front of him. I think it's time we finish this.  
Indeed. Let us now commence the last battle.  



	28. Wrath of God

Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon: Digital Monsters  
Author's Note: I would like to personally thank all those who followed this story from beginning to end for sticking it out. I know it took a long time, and I am grateful for the attention you've paid me. Thanks a whole bunch!  
-dA  
  
****

Episode LII  
Wrath of God  
_"I am a servant of the Secret Fire, wielder of the flame of Anor. You cannot pass. The dark fire will not avail you, flame of Udun. Go back to the Shadow! You cannot pass."  
_Gandalf the Gray, J.R.R. Tokien, The Fellowship of the Ring  
  
_"Choice is an illusion we imagine we have to explain the course of events. In the crucial moments of our life, we are who we are, and we do what we must do."  
_Justice, _Musings_  
  


Fire and shadow danced over the city of West Shinjuku. The Monarch was monstrous, bigger than any of the Mega level digimon in opposition, a tower of misshapen flesh, designed by someone who had never seen the body as anything but a vehicle for the subconscious. Dark shadows danced in his eyes, and the fire of the hells that people had built inside of him spilled out into the open. He was a creature dreamed by those who twisted the sheets around themselves in a vain hope that they would serve as an armor for the soul.  
But in this, in putting on flesh and emerging into concrete reality, he had not been prepared for the opposition that would await him. Phoenixmon unleashed a barrage of fire from above, golden feathers exploding from her long wings and descending earthwards like meteors, leaving tracks of molten fire across the sky. The explosions as those darts met the clammy and slimy flesh of the Monarch of the Dark Ocean were incredible, displays that surpassed event he greatest of fireworks displays.  
Not that they meant much more than a fireworks display. Against the power of the Monarch of the Dark Ocean, Phoenixmon could never hope to prevail, and she knew it. But she was not alone in this endeavor, and this first bombardment was only a momentary distraction, a blaze of light and color to illustrate to the Monarch the difference between his own gray realm and this one. It was also meant to give the others time to get into position, which they did with a practiced grace born of many years spent fighting side by side.  
Valkyrimon and Rosemon stood side by side, weaving their hands together as they summoned power from beyond the known universe, making out of it a single tapestry of fury. From those entwined hands emerged a massive bolt of light, both rose shaded and golden tipped, that hurtled itself directly into the eyes of the massive Monarch. The Monarch reached back and screamed, covering his injured eyes, eyes that were unused to the light, as he recoiled from an attack that could barely harm him. Tentacles writhed from beneath his skin, erupting from that slimy flesh to smash furiously at anything that accidentally wandered within their reach, mangling concrete like it was merely powder.  
One tentacle got in a blow at Phoenixmon, who had been swooping down, but she went with the blow, ignoring the pain at contact, and drifted out of range on the force of the Monarch's own attack. Another almost smashed Vikmon's foot into paste, but the huge lumbering digimon was more agile than he appeared. Even as the blow descended he rolled just far enough to remove himself from danger, and then he grabbed onto his attacker. The tentacle began to shake madly as the Monarch sensed that there was something on it, but Vikmon clung on tenaciously. He waited until the wildly moving tentacle brought him up and around, close to where another tentacle emerged from the Monarch's towering body, before making his move. There was a flash of steel as his axe moved, and then a severed tentacle, flopping like a landed fish, crashed onto the ground, completely separated from its owner. The Monarch screamed in real pain, and the inspired throes of agony sent Vikmon careening into a building that promptly collapsed under the impact.  
"This guy's not going to go down easy." He muttered as he got back to his feet.  
  
TK and Khartan moved at exactly the same time. Both of them drew their cupped hands back as if gathering something in it, and then threw them out toward each other. From TK's hands exploded a bolt of golden energy, whereas Khartan unleashed a bolt of a dangerous glowering red. The two exploded in the middle ground between them, but Khartan's bolt was by far the larger, and the explosion left him unharmed while sending TK hurling out of control farther back in the Void. But it had served its purpose. In that brief moment the rest of the digidestined exploded into action.  
Tai drew upon a reservoir of power that he normally only used to help Agumon digivolve, but this time the power flooded through him instead of his digimon. It rose to his hands, screaming down his arms and he could feel the burning heat, but he was now part of that heat instead of subjected to its fiery caress.  
"Fires of Courage!" For the first time Tai understood why digimon called out the names of their attacks. He could feel the power gathering within him, releasing it with those words was an intoxicating feeling. A roaring fireball broke away from his hand like a thrown baseball. Khartan threw up an arm and a wave of darkness settled around him like a cloak. The fireball dispersed harmlessly, covering the side of that darkness with licking flames, but it covered the movements of both Matt and Ken, who were dashing off to Tai's right hand.  
Matt raised a hand and a whip-like blast of lightning seemed to extend from his hand. It shot out and raked the ground, managing to catch a bit of the dodging Khartan. That piece that it did touch immediately turned to ice, freezing over. Khartan shattered the ice easily and turned, a sword of pure blood-colored fire emerging from his robes in time to match Ken, who had pulled a blade of purple light from his sleeve. The two of them hung together for a moment, blades flaring at the point where they met, and then Khartan summoned his muscle and threw Ken away like a rag doll.  
Yolei went into a running dive and managed to catch Ken before he hit the ground. Kari meanwhile had caught and returned a floundering TK to the battle, and the golden warrior glowed with internal strength. Behind him both Sora and Cody charged in.  
TK went straight down the middle, a blast of golden light neatly equalizing with one of Khartan's waves of darkness. For a moment they stood in silent struggle, two wills struggling with each other, power unleashed at point blank range. Then Sora was there, and she flung something at Khartan, a wash of air that cut like knives, leaving ragged holes in the outermost layers of darkness. Behind that Cody had a katana in his hand, and it was glowing with white fire, extinguishing yet another layer of darkness.  
Khartan responded angrily, hurling a blast of sheer power at them that sent them all sprawling, and unleashing a spike of darkness at the tumbling Sora. The spike hammered in like an angered demon, only to crash against a blue wall that suddenly interspersed itself between weapon and target, a wall shaped like the Crest of Responsibility. Joe shook with the impact, but he was still concentrating, still holding the barrier up, and keeping his friend safe.  
Ken shook his head to clear it as he got back up. It seemed insane, that they could unleash these powers here, but it seemed normal now, almost as natural as using attacks must seem to digimon. He understood now the choice he had made when he had accepted the mantle of a digidestined, and wondered for a moment whether he would have made it anyway.  
"Oh what the hell." He said to himself as Tai was sent flying and sped off after the leader of the digidestined.  
  
"Rapidmon!" Willis yelled as another blast of fire from the orbiting Phoenixmon nearly exterminated an entire group of digidestined as it bounced harmlessly off of the Monarch's oily hide. "Get everyone here! This is the big one!"  
"We didn't need an invitation you know." Noriko grunted slightly as hundreds of digimon and digidestined followed her in leaping over the rubble. They looked tired and exhausted, but the sight of all those determined bodies but the starch back in Willis's spine.  
"All right. Well, we can't do anything now, but wait. We'll have our chance sooner or later…right?"  
  
Omnimon swept his blade across the Monarch's hide, the runes gleaming as if they were burning within. Sparks and streaks of fire erupted from where he touched the scaly hide, but the Monarch appeared to be mostly unaffected, barely even noticing, and certainly not desisting from his attempts to knock Phoenixmon from the sky. The glowing bird of flame was staying just outside his reach, and it was clearly beginning to drive the massive Monarch just slightly over the edge. Against that impotent fury, the pain of getting his hide split apart by Omnimon must have seemed as nothing.  
A few golden spears of light rippled across the sky, twisting space around them with their burning heat. At the last moment before they hit, they ripped themselves apart from inside, erupting into dazzling points of light. Lightnings, dozens of bolts, exploded from the remains of each missile, systematically working their way across the damp skin and slithering tentacles of the Monarch's midsection. He howled, more in rage than in actual pain, and his whispering tentacles grasped onto a piece of wreckage, tossing it in the direction of the hovering HerculesKabuterimon with incredible force.  
Rotating slowly, the huge mass of twisted concrete and steel hurled through the air at an incredible speed. But before it could hit its target it erupted into a series of red slashes, and abruptly disintegrated into nothing more than dust and sand. As the wind from the sea blew the sand away, it revealed Rosemon, pink and red light glowing around her, inspected her rapier calmly, as if looking for nicks and dents. HerculesKabuterimon floated unmolested in the background.  
At the same moment, the Monarch's entire front lit up in a blast of almost intolerable light and heat, purple and fluorescent green blasts of color playing up and down it almost like the lightnings of earlier. Then there was a shock wave that rattled even the mighty Omnimon, a wash of white energy. Above, he could see ImperialDramon, arm-mounted cannon lowered, hovering in the air, the barrel still glowing white from the force of the attack. A moment later the Mega had transformed back into Beast Mode in order to avoid the hurled pieces of rubble that arced skyward in an attempt to flatten him. The Monarch looked really angry now, and there were black lightning bolts beginning to dance from slimy tentacle to slimy tentacle.  
"If he figures out how to throw those things, we could be in trouble." Valkyrimon noted, flashing up to Omnimon's side, hidden in a cloud of pink and purple bubbles of light released by the tiny MarineAngemon. "Or it could be even worse than that."  
"I noticed." Omnimon watched the lightning warily. So far they were able to wear the huge Monarch down by attacking from outside of his effective combat range, but that could not go on indefinitely…could it? Sooner or later they would have to come in to settle this, and then things would get messy.  
"Is our strategy working?" Valkyrimon asked, dodging past a flying automobile and blasting almost lazily at the Monarch with a bolt of gold and silver energy.  
"In a word…no." Omnimon had never let his eyes wander from their target. "Notice his big eyes. It's hard for him to get used to being mortal. He hasn't learned how to look at something without staring directly at it. And those pupils…they haven't even blinked so far. No matter how hard we've hit him, he's never taken his eyes off of _them_, even for an instant."  
Valkyrimon nodded to show that she understood, and cast a brief glance upwards, watching the two angels floating leisurely in the sky. Neither of them had moved since the battle had started, and it was clear that the Monarch understood what that meant.  
"Well…he'll flinch sooner or later." Valkyrimon shrugged and ran off to begin her attack run.  
"Let's hope so." Omnimon rumbled as he joined up with Vikmon in a powerful assault on still more of those writhing tentacles.  
  
"So what do you think of them?" Oikawa staggered upright slowly, every moment causing him pain. Navigating through another plane, and then refreshing his own power, only to add it to the sum of the strength of the digidestined, had exhausted him. He felt like collapsing into a thousand-year slumber, but he had no chance to do that, he forced himself to pay attention to the struggle that had erupted in two worlds.  
"They'll do fine." Gennai shrugged. "Or they won't. We can no longer do anything to influence that."  
"It feels harder than I expected to sit here and watch this." Oikawa confessed. "After all, we did get them into this."  
"They chose their own destiny. The moment they chose to stand against Parrotmon all those years ago this moment was inevitable. They must now stand alone again against the evil that dwells beyond." Gennai stared at the world through almost closed eyes.  
Oikawa considered that for a moment before responding. "Do you know how preachy you sound when you do that?"  
"Shut up and watch the fight." Gennai grumbled.  
  
TK hit the ground hard. There was nothing solid there, but he felt that there should be something solid, and he felt his expectations met. His leg coiled like a spring, and even though the surface was made of pure force of will, he could feel the ground he had imagined begin to shake under the impending force. Then the spring uncoiled, and he hurled himself toward Khartan with blinding speed.  
To Joe, who was still watching from a distance, it appeared that TK had bounced off of thin air, or the equivalent in the bare world of the void, and was now diving toward Khartan like a furious tornado. Even as he got within striking range, and Khartan batted Matt out of his way, TK's fists and feet were already blurring as they hammered at their foe. Khartan's limbs blurred in response, and for a moment, even to the now super-human senses of the digidestined, the world between those two consisted only of a blur of golden light and a black shade thrown over it. Sparks flew between the two, but there was no flinching in their total concentration.  
Then it broke apart, TK hurtling back like a meteor as Khartan kicked him away. Khartan started to dive after him, and then braked himself and leaned back as a white blur nearly took his face off. Kari let the thrust of her kick, her leg shielded in pure, shimmering white, carry her over Khartan's head, and then spun around in a vicious wheel kick that would have taken the monster's head off if he had decided to follow her first attack through.  
Ken darted out of the whiteness, exploding into view with a ferocity that made a liar out of the calm expression on his face. He was still accelerating when his fist slammed around straight for Khartan. With barely a flicker of intent the demon gave the impression that he was grinning, and then moved slightly aside, letting Ken pass in front of him, the wind from the force of the attack barely ruffling his shadow. But the attack served its purpose, and Kari used both of her hands to vault off of Ken's shoulders as neatly as if he had been a set of parallel bars, carrying her out of immediate danger. At the same moment, Ken brought his other fist around, this one carrying less force, but starting from a lot closer.  
Khartan blocked the attack with one hand, sparks and flames exploding from where the two fighters impacted. Ken grunted as his force was deflected, and tried to slide quickly out of the dark warrior's path. Khartan responded instantly, a sheet of black flame reaching out for Ken, trying to fry the digidestined before he could react.  
And missing utterly as Sora and Yolei arrived out of nowhere, Sora flying high and Yolei going low. Sora was covered in red and gold flames, a burning aura that singed the air around her as she pressed her attack. Yolei was covered in some sort of purple glow that sparked and snapped like small lightning bolts, fighting with each other in their eagerness for battle. Sora slammed a high flying sidekick into where Khartan would have been had he not dodged at the last moment, and the flames burnt at his darkness. Yolei broke into a rotating tackle that probably would have broken his shins had he not reinforced them with his own dark power moments before impact. Then they were sent flying by a determined counterattack a split-second before Khartan vanished in a sheet of flame as Davis descended on him as a bolt from above. The kid with the goggles had vanished, and in its place was a snarling demon of vengeance, flame matching darkness in nearly equal proportions.  
TK stood up. He was panting, and sweat was pouring down his face, evaporating off almost instantly, but leaving its mark. He seemed to sway slightly as well, marking his exhaustion for all to see.  
"Not doing too well, are we?" Ken asked, skidding up next to the blonde.  
"I admit, it isn't going exactly like I planned." TK shrugged this away and squared his shoulders in preparation for resuming the battle. "Still, I don't think that we've become unsalvageable yet."  
"You never give up Hope." Ken rolled his eyes. "It's your job."  
"Damn straight."  
"Well…try to come up with a new plan. I get the feeling that the old one isn't really doing much for us right now."  
"We just need one chance."  
"Good, because we're definitely not going to get two."  
  
"We can't let digimon do all the dying for our world!" General Alexander screamed, pointing at the battle with the Monarch.  
"Well, what do we do?" Hayes shouted back.  
"We don't sit around here and wait." Alexander snapped back.  
Something happened.  
  
"What the hell is that?" Omnimon wondered as the gate flashed.  
  
Something exploded into the void like a rogue torpedo. Even for the enhanced, superhuman reflexes of the digidestined, there was no way to see it clearly, it was only a blur that could not be resolved. Then, for a second, as if by magic, they saw the creature that had emerged from the Gate to challenge their opponent.   
Chikara Hida looked different from the grandfather that Cody remembered having. His hands were gripped around a sword, a real one, steel flashing in the white light of the void with an intensity that could not be explained solely by the brightness surrounding them. His eyes were as cold and as hard as steel, and his gaze probably could have cut a man in two. Muscles all over his body could be felt, straining against the boundaries imposed by mortality, pushing him to greater and higher speeds. The blade glinted as two arms prepared for a final thrust. Every part of him seemed committed to the motion, an unstoppable missile fired at the heart of the darkness.   
Then his image shimmered. For a moment, flying behind him, there were shapes. One looked like Sorcerymon, and then that shimmered and changed into BlackWarGreymon, and then other shifting images. Oikawa was there, Jun and TK's grandfather, men who had died screaming and digimon who had disappeared. And for a moment, tattered cloak waving in the breeze, they could see Wizardmon there, blasting along like an avenging angel. All of them, here on a plane as close to the boundary of life and death as one could get, were giving what was left of themselves to this final effort.  
Chikara Hida exhaled as he unleashed his katana, as it begged to be released, as it swooped toward his opponent's heart. It gleamed, unstoppable as it dove forward.  
And missed.  
Khartan's reflexes were beyond superhuman. In a split second, while everyone else could only stare at the image of the aged man, he slid aside, just enough so that Chikara Hida's headlong rush, a rush that could not be stopped, carved only through his shadow instead of through his body.  
There was damage. The sword made a horrible ripping noise as it sliced through the very essence of darkness that Khartan had cloaked himself with, but even though a great swath of shadow was cut away, there was no true damage to the creature of pure darkness. Only a gleam of light, and a sudden rush as a newly kindled hope left the hearts of the digidestined were left.  
Wind whipped through the void in the wake of Hida's passage, and the old man, his attack unable to be halted, slid past and slammed into the stasis field surrounding the singularity box. There was an earth shattering crash, and a flare of light, blinding even against the pure white of the void, as the two bodies collided, and then Cody's grandfather slowly, tenuously, as if he were a hundred years older than he was, turned around.  
"I'm sorry Iori." He spoke quietly, voice very soft. "I thought I should be here at the end, when I was here at the beginning."  
"I don't understand." Cody whispered.  
"I could feel it somehow…that apartment we moved into so long ago. I knew, the moment I touched it, that it rested on a place where the gap between the worlds was thin. If I had never gone there, if my son had never played games on such a thin spot, had never seen the things he did…I wonder if they would have seen us. Without that contact, would the real and the digital worlds have ever come to know each other?"  
"Grandpa?"  
"You see…I did it." Mr. Hida's breathing was shallow, as if he was struggling to breath, struggling to exist. "I started the true digital age, the age in which we were connected to another world. That was all me…everything that happened, happened because I started it. I may not have played the game, but I placed the pieces. It might have been because of me that two monsters emerged into another soft spot between worlds, worlds that they now knew about. It might be because of me that Myotismon became aware of this world, and struck here not once but twice. By moving into that apartment, I may have made you the man you are today.  
"So you see Iori, I was here at the beginning. Now, I thought to give everything to strike at the darkness, and make it the end. I knew that if I could put all of myself, and all of those spirits who have gone before, into one stroke, that I could have hurt him. Hurt him enough to allow you to finish him. But in the end, I am a foolish old man. I have given everything, only to lose it." He began to fade, becoming more transparent, disappearing like smoke. "I gave it everything, and it wasn't enough. I am sorry Iori." His eyes cut Cody Hida far more deeply than any digimon ever had. "I truly love you, and I am more proud of you than you can ever imagine. And I know that one day, we will meet again. Never lose your hopes, your dreams, or your friends…fare well…"  
His image faded. Cody screamed, a hopeless, maddened scream. Then he was on his feet in a rush, hurtling himself at Khartan with a fury that equaled Davis's. The rest of the digidestined moved to follow.  
All except for TK. He alone had truly seen the expression on the old man's face the moment before he disappeared, and that expression had been one of triumph.  
  
Every artillery piece in a twenty kilometer radius spoke at once in an elegant reprimand that nearly deafened a million men. Even the _Missouri_ joined in, hurtling elemental fury against the Monarch, visible even that far away as a huge bulk, blotting out the heavens. If the noise was incredible, the impact was beyond belief. There were enough incoming shells that you could not see individual explosions. One moment there was a huge mound of slimy flesh and writhing tentacles, the next there was only a sheet of continuous fire, wrapping its desperate embrace around the tower of living skin that it collided with. On the street level men staggered back from the noise and the shock waves that threw human beings physically through the air, even removed from the center of the battle.  
Compared to the firepower that had been used in the battle so far, this display of temper and military might could not have seriously hurt the Monarch. But it was bright, and it was loud, and something that the Sovereign Monarch of the Dark Ocean had never been used to, something that passed his limited experiences. He was too new to being a mortal, to new to having a physical body to understand what was happening. So he reacted as any mortal would have.  
He flinched.  
Seraphimon and Magnadramon did not give each other a signal, they did not bother to confer with other digimon or with each other at all. This was the opportunity they had spent the entire battle waiting for. Even before the Monarch was aware that he had flinched, they were swooping down on him like stooping falcons. They moved so fast that air friction turned the edges of their wings cherry red, but only for a moment.  
Then the two forms became almost sinuous, as if they were nothing more than bright ribbons of light that slowly twisted around each other in sequence. Two strands joined, one bright white like the light of the moon, pure as the reflection in a quiet pool, the other a fiery golden corona ripped from the surface of the sun itself. Light blended, and mixed, and suddenly there was only one bolt of light, a giant spear hurtled from heaven from the hands of a magnificent angel, gleaming angrily in the light. That is all there was, all there was time to see, before that bolt from heaven, a hundred times more powerful than any digimon there had dreamed of becoming, struck home with a thunderous rush.  
For that brief moment, the world shook. That massive, titanic body, a construction of stone large enough that one could barely see it curve, the sculpture of nature that had passed on the steps of its constant dance through space for uncounted eons, shook. The tremble disrupted tidal patterns all over the world, triggered earthquakes in distant fault lines as the world attempted to adjust for the stress put upon it, and rattled dishes on the other side of the world. Even the moon trembled a little, as if it had been pulled from its perfect contemplation of the skies, before it returned to normal.  
Two specks of light could be seen shrinking and falling, before a swooping Rapidmon from the sidelines caught a falling, unconscious Patamon and Gatomon as they headed toward the ground.  
And the Monarch screamed, a scream of fury and pain and terror all rolled into one. Tentacles shriveled into wisps of dust and ash as the flames covered the body. Skin was ripped apart, muscle sheared through like paper, explosions erupting inside that horribly malformed body. Somehow, the massive legs hidden inside that writhing monster collapsed, and the Monarch crashed to his knees, humbled by that single strike of angelic power. His eyes rose back to the battlefield very slowly.  
Eight Megas and thousand of other digimon were closing in on him. Thousands of humans, carrying thousands of weapons, were closing on his body with one aim in mind, putting this monstrosity out of their life forever. The entire sky was filled with dots as digimon and airplanes, released from the stupor that the huge battle had inflicted on them, rose into combat formations. None of them were his match, even in this weakened state, he could crush any of them like they were nothing more than ants. But they had numbers. Like a swarm of wasps, they could rip him apart one piece at a time, at a ferocious cost to themselves, but they could do it. And from the look in their eyes, it was pretty clear that they were willing to pay that price.  
Fear entered the heart of a king of fear. A nightmare dawned on the lord of nightmares. Here he was trapped. Here he was vulnerable. Here, sheer weight of numbers could spell his downfall.  
Power gathered within him. Turning, he gestured, and began to open a gate.  
  
TK's eyes widened as he felt space and time shift under him. Only one thought fit into his tired brain at that moment, but it was enough.  
_That crazy bastard_, he thought in appreciation as the scope of Mr. Hida's plans unfurled on him.  
  
"What's happening?" Rosemon managed to grab two lesser digimon, keeping them from flying off in the sudden typhoon-level winds that had sprung out of nowhere.   
"He's too big, he's ripping a hole in space time!" Omnimon roared over the deafening din. Even he was struggling to keep from being blown away. "It's not a natural gate, so it's not occurring right! It's sucking him back through, and everything else that's not nailed down is coming with him!"  
"Well that's just grand!" ImperialDramon howled. "So what do we do now?"  
"All of you are on disaster control duty as of right now!" Omnimon shouted back. "Time to get moving people!"  
  
Gravity suddenly returned to the Void.  
"What is that?" Tai screamed out as the sudden new force offset everyone's current plans for combat.  
"It's the effect of a large gate. It's like a whirlpool dragging everything in!" Kari shouted triumphantly, casting a group of bright lights directly at Khartan. "The Monarch must have been defeated. He's retreating to his own world."  
"And that gives us our chance," TK commanded suddenly. "Tai, Matt, Sora, Ken, keep him busy. Everyone else, give me your full power."  
They responded instantly, for once even before Khartan could. TK felt a wellspring of power build within him, even as four blurs closed on the suddenly disconcerted shadow in the middle of the whiteness. But it was not enough. TK could feel it, could sense that the power he had was somehow incomplete, that there was not enough.  
"Hurry up!" Kari yelled to him.  
"I'm trying. There's not enough power. I need more!" TK yelled, frantically searching for reserves of power that simply were not there. He scrabbled within himself desperately, but now he could come up with not enough to fill those last desperate pieces of his plan.  
Sora screamed as Khartan seized her through her protective flames, and then smashed her hard enough to break half of her ribs. It was a horrible grating sound that felt like sandpaper on TK's raw nerves. He was crying in frustration as he reached inward again, praying to whatever gods there were that he could find what he needed.  
There was a crack as Khartan shattered Ken's arms.  
"TK," Davis's voice interrupted his soul-searching. "Catch."  
Something bright and glowing crystal bright arced through the air of the Void with ease, and TK reached out automatically to snatch it out of the sky with lightning fast reflexes that any professional basketball player would have envied. He stared at the miniature star he held in his hands before he recognized it.  
It was the essence crystal that Kari had discovered on the surface of Parsifal so long ago, that they had taken from LadyDevimon, and that Davis had secreted away for this one moment, when they would need it again. And now, larger than either the Ascendent or the Nadir, it rested comfortably in TK's hand.  
TK's eyes met those of Davis. Davis grinned, and nodded once, even as Matt went down, spewing blood all over the white void.  
This time the inner radiance that exploded forth was beyond even what TK had imagined when he dreamed up this mad plan. It filled him with a strength that he could not describe, that he was ready to employ at its fullest extent. Drawing upon their powers, all of their powers now, he gathered the light into one giant bolt of power, and hurled it unerringly at its target.  
At the singularity box.  
The bolt of raging silver lightning hit the stasis shield in the exact point where Chikara Hida had, and that one imperfection in the defenses that he had put into place with his death blow, allowed TK to shatter that red defensive field like it was merely glass.  
Too late. Khartan understood his fate. Too late, as space twisted around them, did he know his peril.  
The singularity, disturbed by the sudden rush of energy, triggered. It began to try and change, began to form the gate that would take that lethal object out of this universe, even as it began to be dragged along by the wake of the Monarch, falling ever towards that portal. As nature had intended, it aligned itself with that massive Gate, attracted to that power like a moth to a flame, strengthening the connection the more it was pulled along. Even as it did so, it began to twist space and time, drawing nearby things close to it as it activated. All that power had been waiting, like a row of dominoes, and TK had knocked over the first one. It began to react.  
TK unleashed everything he had left, one last blast of power, striking Khartan head on. The dark creature screamed in rage and horror as he was sent drifting into the field of the singularity.  
Before he could recover, the drag from the Monarch and the instability caused by TK's bolt of power caught up with reality. The singularity triggered. It jumped directly through the Void, intersecting the massive gate that the Monarch had created, and following that planar tidal pull. It sucked a lot of the Void, and Khartan, along with it. Khartan and his bomb were dragged along with the Monarch and his gate.  
"Get us out of here!" TK screamed, panic stricken, and Kari, drawing upon reserves of power that she was not aware she possessed, reached out into the unknown and opened their own gate, sending them into their own world.  
  
For a split second the Monarch of the Dark Ocean, the Emperor Khartan and a naked singularity were all present at the same time on the borders of the Dark Ocean. It only lasted an instant.  
Then for the first time in history every shore in the Dark Ocean was fully illuminated. That also only lasted for an instant as well, but it was enough.  
Had anyone survived, they might have commented on the noise.  
  
Light flared in Odaiba. A huge, fountaining explosion erupted from where the Gate had been moments before, and tons of concrete and steel where thrown upward as the huge blast of fire and light annihilated what was left of the heart of the Utopia Corporation complex. Clouds of dust shot up into the air.  
"Damn, that was close." TK rolled his eyes and collapsed into unconsciousness.  
Moments later, Willis was there, Rapidmon blasting his way through the wreckage to find, bruised and battered almost beyond recognition, twelve humans lying in a rough circle.  
"We need a medic over here!" He called, but the shout was unnecessary. A dozen men were already there, and then a dozen more, each eager to have a hand in saving the heroes that had already saved them. Colonel Galvanay was there then, swearing in a dozen languages that should any of those digidestined being dragged out of the ruins sustain any damage at all, he would personally flay the man responsible alive. Others rushed in to join, the knowledge that they had found their saviors, those who had been responsible for saving the world, running through the ranks like wildfire.  
Digimon and human alike moved out of the way of the convoy carrying the injured children as they were moved into one of the main medical tents, seated on rough cots stripped from a nearby hospital, and covered with rough wool blankets. Each warrior, tried and exhausted, was placed next to the body of their sleeping digimon. For a few moments, the main tent was quiet inside, surrounded by the wall of the curious, the reverent and the just plain tired.  
"All right people." Willis came out of the entrance. He clapped his hands together loudly enough to start several dozing patients out of a sound sleep. "They've left things on this end in our hands, so we better get going on it…don't you think?"  
There were several grunts of approval and then the men and women and digimon surrounding the medical tent went back to the front lines.  
"What's up?" Daniel and what was left of European Legion London came trotting up beside Willis, who looked at them sadly. Already two members in the hospital, and they were still ready for action.  
"We've got to free the city of Tokyo." Willis stated firmly. "Let's get down to work."  
The tired digidestined moved out, and into history.  
  
Wind blew in a gentle torrent, ocean air, crisp and clean, bringing with it the smell of the sea, and blowing the constant dust away from the procession. Sunlight shone out of a suspiciously cloudless sky, and it was bright enough that light glinted off of every piece of polished brass and steel, the gold pennants of every flag. Thousands of boots glimmered in the sunlight, and thousands of newly stitched blue uniforms glowed comfortably in the cool breeze. Today, there was no construction down on the ruined piers, none of the usual sounds of demolition of those houses too battered to stand up. Today there was only silence, respectful, reverent and proud.  
The IDEF was going home.  
It had taken two weeks to reconstruct enough of the waterfront for the big ships to fit in, and outside the harbor, the ships were waiting. Container and cargo ships coming into Tokyo harbor, laden with the supplies that the world had sent to rebuild the fallen metropolis, hovered anxiously outside the gates to the sea. Some carried vast quantities of food and other comestible supplies for the survivors of the biggest urban battle in history. Others carried hundreds of tons of building steel, plate glass windows and plumbing supplies that would be the foundation of the new Tokyo.  
Already, the jewel of the east was rising again. Less than a hundred years after being destroyed the last time, the Phoenix was rising again, this time looking to become more impressive than she had been the last time, a towering edifice of concrete and steel that would mark the way into a new millennium. A monument to the perseverance and triumph inherent in the human spirit. And not just to the human spirit, for hundreds of digimon were working aside the humans.  
But they were not working today.  
Rank by rank, row by row, columns evenly spaced, the IDEF seemed to stretch off to infinity. Companies, once full of men, had shrunk to the size of platoons or smaller, leaving comrades behind, either in the rubble or in the hospital. But every man left was standing there at attention, ignoring the bright pounding sunlight, and rejoicing in the simple fact of being alive. Above every formation flags waved proudly in the breeze, a cornucopia of different symbols and images marking men and women from a hundred countries. With them, their uniforms different, their ranks more ragged, were the thousands of children who had risen to fight for the IDEF, thousands of digidestined and their digimon, who had come halfway around the world, to fight a battle that had not been theirs. They had suffered as no child should have had to, they had seen death and disaster, served in the front lines of a war as vicious as any ever fought. They had met all those challenges, and survived, and then triumphed.  
And now they were going home.  
Ships waited, huge passenger liners, donated by their owners to have the honor of carrying the shining legions home to their own nations. It was an event being watched from all over the world as a thousand new outfits with their cameras and microphones descended on the event, but none of them dared break the profound silence that had followed the final remarks by General Sir Thomas Alexander, who was being lauded over six continents as one of the best generals that Britain had ever produced. There was even talk in London of setting aside a charity fund in his name, for the victims of the war.  
"Move out!" Alexander's voice broke into the silence with a suddenness that could not quite hide the tear in his eye.  
First the British went. Their arms snapped up and then they marched out of the carefully arrayed ranks, into the open corridors that were left between formations. The wind ruffled the pennants over their heads, but it did not perturb that stately march as company after company marched onto the ramp of the waiting cruise liner that would take them home. Behind them, their ranks tattered from their losses, came the members of the newly reformed European Legion Britain, a solid corps of digidestined and digimon who would help form the nucleus of the European Legion. Many were children who had never been allowed to stay up late before, but they came now, in perfect order, their digimon trotting alongside with them, understanding the importance of the event.  
Interspersed within them came the bagpipers, and they suddenly broke out in a rendition of Scotland the Brave that sounded even deeper and more meaningful than the version they had played in the middle of battle. There was a nearly invisible straightening of spines as the music swept through the remaining ranks.  
Daniel, still at the head of the digidestined despite the fact that one leg was in a cast, and he was walking with the aid of a cane, swept one hand up in salute toward the figures standing at one end of the podium. Tai returned the salute gravely, and bowed as Daniel marched up the ramp and never looked back.  
Then the French marched by, the bright tunes of the French Foreign Legion sounding as hundreds of Frenchmen marched up the ramps to their own cruise liner. Colonel Galvanay saluted General Alexander. Catherine, along with the rest of European Legion France, hundreds of digidestined moving in an organized herd, raised their bright French berets, their own personal addition to the newly designed IDEF uniforms. There was a cheer from both the crowd surrounding the pier, and the crowd on the podium at that. Then, with the music still trailing behind them, they went up the ramps and left.  
Country by country they left, some only having a few dozen men and digidestined, some having thousands, all marching off in careful order, offering salute to the men and women would had died in battle, and to those left behind.  
TK felt a sad smile grow on his face as they left. They were good men and women and digimon, all of them. And now they were going home, but this time, not for good. There would be more wars, he was sure. There was one that surpassed their imagination occurring out there right now. There would be more battles, more call for brave men and women to sacrifice their lives. And the shining legions would come back to do the job. Once a thing only of dreams, the IDEF was forever.  
Then, finally, it was the only the Americans left.  
Team Eagle led this parade, Michael resting in the wheelchair that Willis was pushing. He had taken shrapnel in the leg in that final stage of the battle, but the doctors swore that he would be up and about in no time. Behind them thousands of digidestined began to fall in together, and then came the soldiers, rank after rank of the survivors.   
"Sound off!" Willis bellowed, unexpectedly loud. From rank after rank a chorus of untrained voices raised a magnificent tune.  
_

  
Mine eyes have seen the glory of the coming of the Lord  
He is trampling out the vintage where the grapes of wrath are stored,  
He has loosed the fateful lightening of His terrible swift sword  
His truth is marching on.  
  
Glory! Glory! Hallelujah!   
Glory! Glory! Hallelujah!   
Glory! Glory! Hallelujah!   
His truth is marching on.   
  
I have seen Him in the watch-fires of a hundred circling camps   
They have builded Him an altar in the evening dews and damps   
l can read His righteous sentence by the dim and flaring lamps   
His day is marching on.   
  


_ The song caught on, and even those who could not speak the language began to hum the tune. It caught on the half-broken skyscrapers, resonating for a moment better than any theater in history could have done. TK could feel the sadness build, sadness for those left behind, but behind it, an overwhelming sense of hope for the future as, line by line, they marched off. In mere moments they would be gone, but for now, they were still here, and this moment was eternal.  
_  
_

_He has sounded forth the trumpet that shall never call retreat   
He is sifting out the hearts of men before His judgment-seat   
Oh, be swift, my soul, to answer Him! be jubilant, my feet!   
Our God is marching on.  
_  


And then they were past the podium, past the digidestined who had started this all, so long ago and so far away, and then it was all history, waiting for its chance to happen again, except for one line that drifted back to the bystanders on the wings of an ocean breeze.  
  


_As He died to make men holy, let us die to make men free,  
_  


_Yes, we have and we will. _TK thought absently._ This time of parting will come again, and this is only the first of many battles. But for now, for this brief moment, there is peace.  
_

****

******  
**


	29. Epilogue

Disclaimer: I don't own digimon  
  


And Last

So that's how it ended. I don't suppose we need to say more about the uneasy peace that has dominated the world ever since. You can read the papers to see more about that.  
Since this is the first time this story has been released on a large scale, you probably want to know more about us, those of us who helped shape this world that you now live in. We tried to stay out of the limelight for so long, but now I guess I've put us back into it.  
To start with, we finished school. Barely, but we did. By barely I mean that we were constantly in trouble. It was a decision that Tai and Matt made early on that we should try to keep our role in the War quiet, and try to keep us from being a public spectacle. That worked for a while, after all, accounts of the War were confused, and it was easy for key people to conveniently "forget" the names and faces of their leaders. But the story could not hold up forever. After all, whenever an emergency broke out in the Digital World, we were among the first to get the call. It was inconvenient for a while, since we were being called upon as citizens of a sovereign nation, and minors to boot. Eventually the United Nations formally established the Inter-Dimensional Expeditionary Force as a permanent military body charged with guaranteeing safety and peace on the border between the Real and the Digital. That gave us excuses for leaving class, but it got us a lot of unwanted attention from our peers. Still, our teachers did not give us any leniency, so our continual absences almost finished us.  
We also made the decision that we would live our lives as normal people as often as we could. That meant that we were supposed to get jobs, go to college…that sort of thing. Everything almost crashed at that point, when Matt decided that he was giving up music to be an astronaut, and Tai declared that he was going into politics, in particular that he was going into diplomacy. Izzy, who was collecting college degrees like seashells at the beach, agreed to help tutor the two of them. Between him, Ken and the rest of us, we managed to get Matt and Tai both through college without them failing spectacularly.  
So, eventually, we managed to settle down. I became a freelance writer and novelist, Kari went into teaching, Matt got to fly his spaceship out to the frontiers of space, and Tai learned how to mediate disputes between digimon and humans. Ken went into forensics, and became a forensic detector, Yolei and Izzy worked with computers (not that there was any doubt of that), Cody became a defense attorney, Davis opened up that noodle cart he always talked about, Joe got that doctor's degree (to his father's relief), Sora opened a fashion company, Mimi got a cooking show, but we never went our separate ways. Eventually Tai and Matt and Sora got things all settled out between themselves (I won't tell that story now…it deserves an epic), and, strangely enough, they all live in a single household. It seems that no matter how much they still fight with each other, and even if two of them are married in all but name, they can't bear to be apart from each other. Strangely enough, Izzy decided to live with them as well, which just goes to show you, friends are forever. They have a suite of rooms on the upper floor of our apartment building, right above the moderately sized apartment that Kari and I share, one for Matt and Sora, one for Tai, and one for Izzy. We have two spare bedrooms, which is lucky for us, because we often have visitors. Joe and Mimi, who, strangely enough, are still shy around each other, live down the hall from us in one direction, while Ken and Yolei live on the other side of the hallway, in an apartment with a balcony that Ken uses to launch Stingmon off of. Cody lives on the second floor from the bottom, opposite Davis. So in the end, we all ended up in the same place, at least the same building.  
I suppose that I should explain why only Ken and Yolei got married. It all started with their wedding. They got hitched right after college, but it was a disaster. Not that they noticed, they were too dreamy to notice anything.  
First, Cody, who had just begun working with a respectable law firm (Hisa Legal), got an emergency case. It was someone who needed to be defended, and Cody's knowledge both of martial arts and the Digital World were central to the case, and you know Cody. His sense of justice and honor demanded that he keep an innocent man out of jail. This meant that he had to skip Ken and Yolei's wedding, and the next time he saw them, he apologized for nearly an hour straight before we could shut him up.  
Next it was Matt who had problems. They got a sudden window for a space flight which had been planned for months. He had less than forty-eight hours notice (thanks partially to the fallibility of the engineering department) and had to cancel his travel plans at the last minute so that he could go into space, where he had been dreaming of going. This, of course, meant that Tai and Sora were a complete wreck. After all, they always are when Matt goes into space.  
In the moments before the wedding, Joe got a call at the last minute and had to go run away to deal with some sort of emergency medical problem. This left Mimi in a bit of a snit. Of course, this set a bad tenor for the whole thing.  
Halfway through the wedding, a group protesting the presence of Digimon on Earth came to bombard the new Digital/Human ambassador Taichi Kamiya with all sorts of political drivel. Tai got short tempered, and started yelling back. It was only when they started throwing things that everything got messy. In the end, Davis got arrested on account of the fact that the police officer arriving at the scene considered Imperialdramon a deadly weapon for assault purposes. Fortunately, once we got Cody to stop apologizing, he had the services of an excellent defense attorney. I don't think Ken or Yolei noticed any of this, but the rest of us did.  
Gennai and Adam, both of whom were there, hiding out in the back, pointed out that the whole things was a little silly. After all, why rush to marriage now? When I pointed out to Adam that we were really sort of impatient, he gave me the Look. Then he told us that he had been engaged for fifty years before getting married, and we might want to consider going through the same path. Besides, we might be able to get divine sanction of our marriage if we performed it at the right place and the right time.  
I think that was when the effects of the burden we had taken on ourselves began to show. The thought, the idea that we would be virtually immortal, that we would be young long after everyone else we knew was dead and forgotten, had not begun to sink in until then.  
Given that, Kari, Mimi and Sora got together and agreed to wait. They said that they didn't want to get married until there was no more baggage hanging over them, and that meant until we had left Earth. I never really realized how much effort it must have cost them to come to that conclusion. But, the rest of us agreed. I think there was not much romance within the group for a while anyways, the thought of tying the knot for all eternity can daunt even the staunchest heart. Even if it didn't, that was about when the Halifir war broke out, so we were all busy for a while.  
But, generally, life settled down. About once a week (or once a day on bad weeks), Matt, Tai and Sora will have an explosive argument. The subject changes from week to week, but the format seems to remain the same. Everyone else knows how much they like fighting, and understand that they occasionally need a break from each other. But for Kari and I, the sound means that we're about to have company, usually one of the Troublesome Trio come down to our apartment to rage and rant about his/her horrible friends, drink most of our herbal tea, and then charge back upstairs. To add to this Joe and Mimi live off to the side. They have a system for when they fight. Instead of yelling and screaming at each other, the angry one comes down to us and takes up temporary residence in our spare rooms. Kari and I just sigh and let them help with the cooking. Izzy wanders through occasionally too. He's actually spending a lot of his off time living in Citadel with that girlfriend of his, so we don't see him as often.   
One time my brother and Tai and Sora had a huge fight. I remember it because I could hear it through the ceiling. This is a sure sign that sooner or later three people will be banging on my door. Sure enough. First Sora came down, face redder than her hair, pulled Kari aside, chatted with her angrily for a few moments, and then stalked back upstairs. Next Tai came down, nearly incandescent with rage. He muttered angrily, pounded on the wall, put his goggles on (always a bad sign) and went back upstairs. Then it was Matt's turn to come ask me for advice in that quiet voice that means that he was about to do a volcano impression. About an hour after he went back up, Sora was back down, half-crying, half-trying-to-rip-things-into-tiny-pieces. She stayed for about two hours and then went back up, only to be replaced by a very angry Matt, who wasn't talking to Sora, and who was about ready to throw Tai out the window. It took another hour of our weekend, and most of Kari's supply of tea to calm him down. About another hour passed before there was another knock on the door. Kari rolled her eyes and I sighed and went to open it. Instead of one of the others, there was Izzy, looking haggard and rumpled, clutching his laptop tightly, with an interesting bruise on his forehead. He looked at us and exclaimed:  
"I simply cannot function in that madhouse a moment longer!"  
I don't know what came over me, but I just started laughing. This started Kari laughing, and after he had gotten his breath back Izzy joined in. By this time, we were laughing just because everyone else was laughing, which drove us to laugh ourselves into that exhaustion you get when your lungs hurt to even breathe.  
Of course at this time, Ken and Yolei dropped by, found our door open and us sprawled over furniture, lying quietly. Yolei screamed and Ken immediately told Wormmon to call the police station. I turned over to comfort them, caught sight of his face, and started laughing again. Of course, this set of Kari and Izzy again. Ken and Yolei stared at us for a while before they started laughing, and then Ken bent over to help me up, started giggling, was bumped by Yolei and went headfirst over the coffee table. I was laughing so hard tears were running out of my eyes and Izzy was banging on furniture with his fist. Kari attempted to occasionally get up, but she kept falling down again. In the middle of this, Tai, Sora and Matt, still glaring at each other, burst in to see if we could settle there argument, and spent a lot of time looking confused. It took a few minutes for Kari to regain control again, and she went to the refrigerator, and calmly, and with great solemnity, squirted an entire container of aerosol propelled whipped cream into their faces. Of course, this started us off on a general uproar, which is when Joe walked in on us. Kari took a picture of the look on his face, which is still enough to send me into gales of laughter.  
So life is still interesting. But now it's coming to a close.  
I went down to the Monument after writing that last chapter. I haven't been there in a while. But it never changes.  
When my father was elected mayor, he began the construction of the Monument. He did it by expanding the landfill that Odaiba is built on, and more than doubling its size. It was a massive project, but it gave us something to do with all that rubble we pulled out of downtown. Then it was covered with grasses and trees and marble walkways and staircases, like some multilevel castle on the edge of the sea.   
Here is where the tombs are. There are massive memorials that cover the ground, on which is written names and dates where those who laid down their life in the liberation of Tokyo are recorded. Each nation that has come, that had sent its children and its adults to die, had built their own monument, a little piece of home. It was lauded by critics as the greatest collection of international art ever created, a little piece of art from a thousand little cultures. Villages deep in the African savannah sent hand-carved pieces of art to sit aside million dollar mausoleums that were constructed by huge first-world countries. It was strangely haunting and beautiful, and always full of tourists, who remained oddly respectful of this monument to the dead.  
There were many places that I visit from time to time. My grandfather has a monument here, a small carving of his motorcycle on a nearly invisible corner. It is well worn by the sea winds, but I still run my hand over it every time I visit. Jun has a monument as well, a simple eternal flame, to respect her last words. Beneath it is written the simple message:  
_

  
May she always be warm  


_  
There are graves here for people I helped bury once, long ago, people I knew. Some of them I remember briefly, as fleeting faces or the faint sound of a voice that one cannot remember properly, and then they are gone, evading my memory and diving into the unyielding surface of history once more, and I cannot follow. Sometime I knew them only for minutes or seconds, sometimes I had stood with them for days and hours, and sometimes I don't have either image or sound of voice to put with a name. I sometimes see wonder and fear in the faces of the children who, not understanding death, play among the monuments to the fallen and look into pictures carved of faces that will never smile again. Still, even as they brush around me, ignoring my eternal grief which has frozen my face like a rock, I am aware that those faces of stone are smiling now, and may be smiling for all time.  
Perhaps children understand death better than we think.  
I am reminded here of something Adam once told me, from a comic book I think he said, about life. You each get a lifetime, no more, no less. But some of them are less than others, even if they accomplish more. Here, on the boundaries between the living and the dead, it is sometimes hard to hold onto one's optimism.  
All the graves get visitors, and it is rare for them to ever be without flowers. Even the tongue-in-cheek memorial to Jim's Arm that the ghostbusters set up has its yearly ritual sacrifice of coffee grounds. If Jim (whose prosthetic arm matches his real one so well I sometimes have to think to remember which one is which) notices this, he never says anything.  
Almost all the graves get visitors.  
There was nothing left of Chikara Hida. His memorial is a huge statue between the roadways of the newly re-built Rainbow Bridge, a statue of an older man with a katana in his hand, gazing forever at the Phoenix that is the city of Tokyo. No man can cross onto Odaiba, even by subway, without coming under the shadow of the guardian at his eternal watch. Sometimes I see Cody standing at the base of the statue, looking up at it, but he never leaves anything. He doesn't need to.  
But one grave is never visited. In a shallow spot at the entrance to the harbor there is a statue made out of polished marble. It is isolated, alone in the water, a single outcropping in the middle of the pounding hands of the ocean. But it is tradition that every time a military ship from any nation passes into the harbor, that they dip their flag in salute to the old man of the sea. And thus, in death as in life, Hideo Ishiguro is alone and unreachable, beyond humanity, forever awaiting the changing tide.  
Perhaps he might have liked it that way.  
One more structure never gets visitors of the casual sense, but that one is not a memorial. It is a triumph of modern engineering, a massive pillar of concrete and steel that rises almost a hundred stories into the air, supporting a beacon of light that illuminates the entire world, as far as Tokyo is concerned. It was built armored floor after armored floor, growing ever upwards until it touched the very sky. It is ominous and comforting all at once, and people come from around the world to stare at it.  
A home. A fortress. A beacon.  
The IDEF Lighthouse.  
  
Of the thousands of men and women who have marched to war under our banner, I will say nothing. Of the hundreds of times I have escaped death while wearing that uniform, I will not speak. The Lighthouse is headquarters to something bigger than any of us ever expected. And even if we have gone our own separate ways in some sense, we still live in that monstrosity half of the time. Yolei and Izzy spend almost all their waking hours there, monitoring the flow of data from the real world to the digital world. Armies protect it, men have died guarding its secrets, and we walk there like we are gods, yet it endures. And it will endure long after I and the others are gone.  
We are tired. I already look younger then my children. Soon, too soon, I will look younger than my grandchildren. I have no wish to stay here and watch my family decay into death. I have no wish to watch all that I have helped build topple in the next political power struggle. I have had adventure after adventure in worlds so strange as to beggar description. To me the Earth is a favorite place, but it is no longer home.  
The war goes ever on and on. Light and darkness are never far separated, and I must continue to struggle lest we be overwhelmed. So I am going. We are going. That is why I am writing this story now. Already the others have gone away, gone home, abandoned this world for the joys of others. Already we mourn our children, who we love more than life, as dead. I am the last, the others have already gone. Even Willis and Michael are gone, ages ago. Willis doesn't even bother to age himself anymore, they left with most of the other first-ranked digidestined.   
I don't know why I wrote this, to tell the truth. It was never about money, or fame, or pride, or anything. All I can say is that I told you this to tell you the truth. So that you will know that one day, gods and angels walked the earth as men. So that you will understand that children with dreams ascended to the heavens, and that everyone who walks this earth can follow in their wake. Maybe all you need to know is that there are heroes out there, somewhere.   
This is not the last story we ever had, but it is the last one you will hear, for the others are beyond you. For most of you, we will part ways at the end of this book, you to yours and I to mine. But some of you will be inspired to chase after me and the legend I have created. To those I give this message. I am far away, gone into the mists of time. The way after me is difficult and long and hard, and I will not make it easy. But should you wish to chase me, then come after me. To those who follow, they will be the heroes and champions of tomorrow. I give them my best wishes. I will be waiting someday, somewhere.   
Once, when I was a baby, two monsters came to Heighton View Terrace, and nearly destroyed it. On that day, I set foot into the world of adventure. Sometimes I came home and rested, but always I set out again. Now it is time for me to wander again.  
The old heroes are gone. You will have to make your own heroes now.  
Walk forever in the Light.  
  
Takeru Takaishi  


  
_The Moving Finger writes; and, having writ,  
Moves on:  
_Edward Fitzgerald, The Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam  
  


Whew, that was a ride. I started this to prove to myself that I could actually write an epic, and it seems that I can. I finished it after all. Well, I don't think you'll see much more of the digidestined from me, but I'm sure that TK and Kari and the others will continue to have adventures off on their own. As for me, I'm sure I'll be writing something else soon. A very special thanks to those who kept reading this all the way through. Your inspiration in your reviews kept me going. Hope to see you all again soon!  
-dA************


End file.
